Special Class
by Ai Enmaxjigoku shoujo
Summary: To think, his sworn enemy was slowly but surely proving to be more than he ever thought possible.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey peeps! It's good to see you all again – I've missed you. Anyway, as some of you know my computer got a virus and I had to wipe my computer clean and I lost all of my files in the process. My babies are gone! 'Tis sad. Unfortunately (Fortunately in my case) one of my favorite authors had to discontinue their stories. So I adopted two of them! This one, Special Class, and another one called Together. I – to atone for that viruses sins – shall work on these stories while working on my others. And for those of you who don't know me, this story was adopted from Shadeofblue, formally known as ****Great Karyee-Sama. So, thank you (Shadeofblue) sempai – I shall treat this story well! P.s. The chapters are almost exactly the same – I only changed a few line here and there – most people probably won't even notice the difference.**

**DISCLAIMER: Naruto – not mine. Besides, they revolted against me when I demanded smut from them. T.T**

In Konoha, there is a school called: Konoha High. Konoha High is well-known for its schools weird rules. Well, the school is biased towards some students; especially students from the Special Class. Students from the Special Class get special benefits. One of these benefits is that you could choose any student from the school outside the Special Class to be your helper; though to the special class, the helpers are known as servants.

There are only two ways to get into the Special Class. The first way is to be extremely wealthy and the second is to be extremely clever. Each Special Class only has five students. There are Two Special Classes in Konoha High; one senior class and one junior class.

Uzumaki Naruto is a sixteen year old orphan who lost his parents due to an accident when he was younger. Iruka, a kind middle-aged man, adopted him and started taking care of him. Due to some reasons they had to move to Konohagakure because Iruka, who worked as a teacher, was transferred to a school there – Konoha High. Iruka got Naruto to attend Konoha High since it was the only school there and it would be easier for him to take care of the mischief one.

"I'm going to go submit some documents," Iruka looked at his watch. "I'll meet you here around twenty minutes later. In the meantime take a look around the school."

Naruto nodded impatiently. He couldn't wait to take a look around the school. Konoha high was at least two times bigger than his previous school. Not to mention, nicer and cleaner too.

"Don't cause any trouble. We won't want to leave a bad impression would we, Naruto?"

"Don't worry, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto grinned. Iruka used to be Naruto's teacher before Naruto's parents passed away. This was the reason why Iruka adopted him. Iruka ruffled Naruto's blonde hair with affection like a father would do to his son. They parted ways soon after, leaving Naruto alone to look around the school.

"Wow, the school is like a maze here." Naruto looked at the map of school on the wall of some corridor. "I'm now here…I need to turn left then right then walk straight…" Naruto traced the route to his future classroom with his pointer finger and read-out-loud the directions he should take. He was so concentrated in finding his way to the classroom that he didn't even realize someone came to stand at his back.

"Looking for your classroom…?" The boy whispered in his ear, Naruto could hear the boy smirk from his voice. Naruto immediately turned to face the boy and blushed when he noticed how close their faces were.

The boy had onyx eyes with black hair which looked like a duck-butt. Naruto almost got lost just looking at those beautiful onyx eyes.

Sasuke hadn't expected the blonde kid in front of him to have such beautiful eyes. He only went over to tease him because his blonde hair was too hard to go unnoticed. The blonde with cerulean eyes looked beautiful. It was the most beautiful shade of blue. Sasuke had a friend with blue eyes too but this boy in front of him had eyes that were nicer than his friend's – Deidara.

"I, er…I got to go!" Naruto said nervously, trying to get out of the awkward position. Sasuke had put his hands on the wall and towered over him. Naruto turned to leave but his forehead hit Sasuke's wrist. He rubbed his forehead and quickly ran away from Sasuke, this time his forehead didn't hit Sasuke's wrist. He almost fell since he was in a hurry to get out of the place.

Sasuke looked at the blonde in front of him, amused. School was going to be interesting from now on…wait! He didn't ask the blonde for his name! Damn it, how could he have forgotten something so important?! He slapped his forehead before 'tsk'ing at his forgetfulness.

"Phew…that was close. I would have fainted on the spot if I was a girl." Naruto said to himself after making sure he was far enough from Sasuke. "Well…I would have fainted too if I didn't leave on time…" He said softly before slapping himself. "What are you talking about?! Both of you are guys, damn it!" Naruto shook his head before continuing to walking. "Now, where's that classroom…"

"I entered this school because of Sasuke-kun! I hope I'll get chosen to be his servant!" Ino said excitedly to her best friend – Shikamaru.

"Che, you're actually willing to be his servant. How troublesome…" Shikamaru said before covering his mouth with his hand as he yawned.

"Shikamaru, you're in the same Special Class as Sasuke-kun right?!" Ino looked at him with hope. "You put in a good word or two about me in front of Sasuke-kun right?!"

Shikamaru patted Ino on the head and said, "It's not healthy to be dreaming so early in the morning, Ino." Then he walked off mumbling something like: 'Girls…so troublesome…' When Ino finally understood what Shikamaru had meant, she ran after him shouting.

"Get back here you lazy ass!"

"Well, that explains the school rules." Iruka said while closing his book. "Anyone of you here has the chance of getting chosen."

Every girl in the class squealed. They had a chance to be with their 'Ice Prince', Uchiha Sasuke and his best friend, Neji. Of course they would be happy. All the boys sighed, they knew they wouldn't get a chance with Hinata from the Special Class. The girl is way too shy (this is also the reason why she attracted their attention), it is impossible for her to choose a male helper!

"Calm down class." Iruka said louder than usual so that his class could hear him from all the commotion. "The students from the Special Class are more special. The boys from the Special Class have ties that are of a different color compared to the Normal Class boys. Whereas, the girls from the Special Class have skirts that are of a different color compared to the Normal Class girls."

"What is the color of their ties and skirts, sensei?" A boy from the back of the classroom asked.

"Oh, yes, about that." Iruka opened his book and flipped to the page where the details of the school uniform were. He was a new teacher in Konoha High; of course he wasn't familiar with the school rules. Although he had spent the whole night reading the school rules, he couldn't remember the uniform color of the Special Class. "They have black ties and black skirts."

"That's so cool! Unlike us, we have to wear this stupid red tie and red skirts!" The students said together.

Iruka nodded and smiled as he passed down some booklets. "Here are the details of the Special Class and the things the helpers need to do." Students who got the booklet immediately opened it and flipped to the page where the details of the students of the Special Class were written. "Like I said before, everyone here has the chance of being chosen as helpers. That's why I've given everyone of you a booklet so that you will know what to do if you are chosen."

The class started to get noisy again as the girls talked amongst themselves about the things they'd do if they ever got chosen to be the Special Class's helpers.

Naruto flipped the booklet uninterestedly and after he was done, he started looking around the classroom. His eyes landed on a girl with pink hair. "I never thought I would be able to find someone with hair as outstanding as mine…" Naruto said to himself. He spent the whole period looking at her and noticed how beautiful she was. Her ivory skin, her shoulder length pink hair, her emerald green eyes, her beautiful smile… all so beautiful.

At the end of the lesson, Naruto finally mustered enough courage with the help of his new friend; Kiba, to go over to her table and ask for her name.

"Err…hi." Naruto said while standing in front of the girl. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto and you are…?"

"Sakura," the girl stopped what she was doing and looked up. "Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you Naruto." She smiled.

Oh, the way her beautiful lips said his name. The sound of her voice, the way her pretty pink lips moved. Everything just felt so right, as if they were made for each other…

"Erm…Can I have your number…?" Naruto asked nervously. This was his first time asking a girl for her number. He was afraid that she would reject him. But one word from her made all those uneasy feelings go away.

"Sure." She said. Kiba who was sitting at the other end of the class gave Naruto a thumbs-up while Naruto just grinned back. Naruto gave Sakura his number too and told her that he would call her tonight.

"I'm sure all of you here understand the rules." Kakashi said to his class. "After all...this is the Special Class."

Nobody in the class answered him. Everyone was busy with their own stuff. Shikamaru busy sleeping, Neji and Hinata busy talking about the party the Hyuugas were going to have next week, Gaara busy with not doing anything and Sasuke busy reading a manga.

"I will pass out a booklet about all the students in this school later on. In the meantime, just do your own thing." With that, Kakashi immediately took out his precious orange porn book: Icha Icha Paradise.

"Stop it, Sasuke." Sasuke said to himself. "Stop thinking about that blonde with those blue eyes." _But I can't help it. _The moment Sasuke closed his eyes, a blonde with blue eyes and three whiskers-liked scars on each side of his face came to his mind. Sasuke chuckled when he remembered when the boy tried to run away but ended up hitting his wrist with his forehead.

"How's your class, Ino-pig?" Sakura asked as they queued up for their food.

"Oh! Sasuke-kun walked passed our class! Can you believe it?! He's so cool even when he rejects some girl who asked for his number!" Ino said excitedly. "How's yours, forehead-girl?"

"Some guy asked for my number." Sakura said nonchalantly.

"What? Did you give it to him?" Ino asked, more excited than before.

"Yeah."

"You're interested in him, aren't you?" Ino smirked.

Sakura turned to face Ino and smiled. "Honestly Ino, I don't give a damn. But since life is boring nowadays, I might as well give it to him. You never know how much this guy could entertain me." Then Sakura went to take a seat at some table.

Ino shook her head and sighed. "This Sakura…she's going to get into trouble someday…" then she went over to the table where Sakura was seated and sat beside her.

"The ramen here is awesome!" Naruto said to himself as he finished his fifth bowl of said food. Kiba had gone to get the both of them a drink since he got bored waiting for Naruto to finish his meal and was afraid that Naruto would choke with the way he scarped down the noodles.

"You like ramen, don't you?" Sasuke said as he sat down beside Naruto. Everyone in the canteen seemed to stop what they were doing and looked in the direction of Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto almost choked when he heard Sasuke's voice. "Y-Yeah."

"What's your name?" Sasuke asked as Naruto looked at the ramen, afraid to make eye contact with Sasuke.

"Na-naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

"Uzumaki Naruto huh?" Sasuke smirked. Everyone in the room almost stopped breathing. Uchiha Sasuke never smirked at anyone. "See you soon…dobe."

Naruto's head immediately shot up. "Who do you think you're calling dobe?!" But Sasuke already left. Naruto looked around only to find everyone looking at him. "Teme…?"

"I find people from the Special Class stupid. They only get inside that class because of their wealth. I heard only one of them got inside cause of his results." Tenten said to her good friend, Rock Lee.

"Oh, Tenten! We are all youthful thinkers! I share the same thoughts!" Lee suddenly grabbed Tenten's hands. His eyes sparkling with what he calls – youth.

"You're the one that's stupid. Yes, you're correct that we get into the Special Class because of our wealth but you're wrong about something." Neji said while touching his hair.

"Then please tell me what I was wrong about, Mr. Special Class student." Tenten said.

"It's not all about being rich to get inside the Special Class. We still have to take a test to test if our intelligence qualifies us to be inside the Special Class. Did you really think that just by being rich, you would be able to get inside the class?"

"Isn't that the case?" Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Of course not. I'll prove it to you."

"How?"

"You'll see." Neji smirked before leaving to find Sasuke.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here is chapter two which is a combination of the second and third chapter. I just combined so the chapter would seem longer. Nyaa~ Chapter three shall be my original work, I'm excited! Read and review!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters does not belong to me… though, all those plushies in that newly added crane game in Wal-Mart shall be mine! **

"_What are you doing…Okasan?" A seven year old Sasuke asked as he stood outside the door of the guest room. _

"_Shit, we forgot to lock the door!" Mikoto quickly pulled up the blankets to cover herself. "Sasuke-love, don't tell anybody about this alright? Especially your Otousan. You wouldn't want to be separated from Okasan would you?" Mikoto smiled nervously. Even though Sasuke was young, he wasn't stupid or anything. She was sure that Sasuke understood what he saw right in front of his eyes. _

"_But this is wrong Okasan!" Sasuke shouted as tears in his eyes threatened to fall. "Otousan won't be happy if he knows about this!" _

"_That's why I told you not to tell your Otousan, Sasuke!" Mikoto said. "You know Okasan loves you right…? Don't tell your Otousan for the sake of Okasan alright?" _

"_If you knew this would happen then why did you do this…?" Sasuke wiped off his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. "We're supposed to be a happy family, Okasan…" _

"_Look Sasuke, this is not your Okasan's fault. Don't tell anybody about this alright?" The man on the bed with Mikoto finally spoke. _

"_Shut up! It's your entire fault! You destroyed my family! I hate you!" Sasuke shouted at the man as more tears roll down his pale face. Suddenly a hand was placed on Sasuke's shoulder. _

"_Don't cry Sasuke. An Uchiha doesn't cry, at least not for someone like her." Fugaku__said as his glare was directed to the two on the bed. _

"_I can explain, dear!" Mikoto said anxiously. _

"_What's more to explain? You're going to say that this is not what it seems to be?" Mikoto nodded quickly. "I only believe what my eyes see. Let's go Sasuke." With that, Fugaku carried Sasuke in his arms and left the room leaving Mikoto crying on the bed. The man that Mikoto had an affair with was long gone. He had escaped through the window immediately after Fugaku left. _

Sasuke suddenly woke up breaking out in cold sweat and panting slightly. "Shit…Why am I having that dream again?"

That was nine years ago; when Sasuke was separated from his mother. The woman whom he trusted the most betrayed him right in front of his eyes. He never went into that guest room ever again. That room smelt of betrayal and sex.

He'd never seen his mother again ever since that day, yet that scene he saw nine years ago didn't leave him even up till now. In fact, it made him lose interest in women. Yes, Uchiha Sasuke was gay. He wondered why his fan girls never noticed this and kept pestering him.

Now that Sasuke woke up from his 'nightmare', he couldn't go back to sleep. He closed his eyes and let his thoughts wonder off to a blonde with cerulean eyes and three whisker-like scars on each side of his face… Sasuke opened his eyes and blinked before smirking. _It's been awhile since I found someone like him…seems like he's worth bullying… _

Naruto giggled to himself under the blankets. Things had been going well between him and Sakura in his own opinion. Talking to her for the past few days made his feelings for her grow. He smiled at the thought of Sakura. He had been thinking about her almost everyday and he just couldn't get her off his mind. He wondered if Sakura had been thinking about him like the way he had been thinking about her.

A knock on the door interrupted Naruto from his thoughts. Outside the door, Iruka asked softly if he could come in. When Iruka came in, he smiled fondly at Naruto who was now sitting on his bed with his sleeping hat on.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto grinned as Iruka sat beside him.

"I just came to check if you're asleep," Iruka said. "Tsunade-sama, the principal called earlier saying that she wants to meet you tomorrow."

Naruto look at Iruka; confused. Why would the Principal want to meet him? He was sure that he didn't make any mistakes…Unless they considered eating ten bowls of ramen everyday at school a mistake. "Why would she want to see me, Iruka-sensei?" he asked.

Iruka shrugged, "I don't know, Naruto. You didn't do anything wrong, did you?" Iruka looked worried. He knew that Naruto was good at playing planks.

The blonde shook his head, "I was a really good boy these few days!" The older man smiled and nodded before patting the blonde on the head.

"Alright, I believe you." Iruka tucked Naruto into bed and covered Naruto with the blanket. "Go to sleep now, you still need to go to school tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Iruka-sensei…" Naruto yawned as he closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, Naruto." With that, Iruka left the room quietly as Naruto drifted to sleep.

"Congratulations Uzumaki!" That was the first thing Tsunade, the Principal had said to Naruto when he entered her office.

"Huh…?" Naruto looked at the Principal; confused. He hoped that the Principal would give him a proper explanation as to why she wanted to see him.

"Wait, I'll tell you when the other student is here." Tsunade was smiling happily as she printed something from her computer. Around a few minutes later, another student entered the office.

"You were looking for me, Tsunade-sama?" The student who just entered the room asked politely.

"Ah, yes, Tenten, congratulations to you too!"

Tenten's reaction was the same as Naruto's. Why the hell the Principal would be congratulating them for something they didn't even know. Both students looked at each other before shrugging as they waited for the Principal to explain herself.

"You see, I'm sure both of you know about the Special Class system in Konoha High," the Principal started to explain herself as both students nodded. Tsunade smiled as she continued her explanation. "Apparently, two students from the Special Class have chosen you to be their helper."

…

Two pair of eyes widened as the new information registered in their brains.

"WHAT?!" Both students shouted at the same time. Tsunade had to cover her ears to prevent her eardrums from bursting. She took the two pieces of paper that she just printed out and handed it to them.

Naruto and Tenten took the paper and read the information printed on the piece of paper.

_The Special Class is actually a system that was created to manage the heirs so they can graduate. The Special Class is actually made up of rich families and each family has a member who's a student in Konoha High. Each of those students chooses someone from the normal class to be their assistant; to be exact, their servant. _

_There are also 'masters' without any 'servants'. When the student is chosen to be the servant of the member of the Special Class, a special earring will be given to them. Depending on who your 'master' is, the earring will be different. For example, the earring of the servant of the Uchihas would have the Uchiha symbol engraved on the earring. The 'master' of the servant will wear an identical earring as the servant. The earrings are actually in a pair. The chosen 'servant' won't be able to take off the earring without the master's permission. _

_Being the servant of the member of the Special Class means you have to attend the same classes as your 'master'. Therefore, the servant won't be able to see their current classmates until graduation._

_If the student from the normal class refuses to be the servant of the Special Class, the penalty for refusing is being expelled. Therefore, the student from the normal class has two choices; in which, One; is quit being a servant and be expelled or, Two; work hard to be a good servant until graduation. _

"I can't even take care of myself, how am I supposed to take care of others?" Naruto stared at the paper in horror.

"You're asking us to be the servants of the stuck-up bastards in the Special Class…?" Tenten asked as she slowly lifted her head up from the paper.

"Your language please," Tsunade sighed as she explained. "You see, I'm not the one who is asking you to be the servants of the students in the Special Class. It's the student who is going to be your future 'master' that had chosen you."

"W-who are they?" Naruto looked at Tsunade. "Is this some kind of sick joke they're playing? I didn't offend anyone from the Special Class! So why are they treating me like this?!"

"Don't be like this, Uzumaki." Tsunade took out two small boxes from her drawer and spoke again. "There are also benefits in being the helpers of the students in the Special Class."

"Servants," Tenten corrected. "What are the benefits in being the helpers, no, servants of the students in the Special Class? I don't see any here." Naruto said as he pointed to the piece of paper Tsunade passed to them earlier on.

"The school fees of the servant will be free until graduation."

"What do we have to do as the servants?" Both students said almost immediately. Not that they were money-faced but the school fees for Konoha High are expensive. Without the need to pay school fees, their family burden wouldn't be as heavy as before.

Naruto didn't want to be a burden to Iruka, he was really grateful for the fact that he was actually willing to take care of him. Although he had been tutoring younger children as a part-time job to earn some money, it didn't really help a lot. But with this, Iruka would have more money to spare and spend on himself! Iruka had always been spending money on Naruto and didn't really spend a lot on himself. This made Naruto really guilty; he always wanted to do something for Iruka.

Tsunade smirked; she knew money made the world go round. "Simple, just make sure your 'master' goes to class, does his homework, studies for his tests, basically taking care of your 'master' and making sure that they will be able to graduate. And take care of their health too."

Naruto and Tenten thought for a while before nodding in determination. The things a servant needs to do sound simple. It should be rather easy to handle.

"So…you two agree to become the servant of your future 'master'?" The two students nodded and within seconds, the earrings; as stated in the paper were on their ear. Tsunade placed each of the two small boxes she took out from her drawer just now on Naruto and Tenten's palm.

The box on Naruto's palm had 'UCHIHA' written on it while the box on Tenten's palm had 'HYUUGA' written on it. Both of them stared at the box for a really long time before Tsunade spoke again.

"Oh, I haven't told you who your 'master' is have I?" Tsunade laughed at her own forgetfulness. "Well, for Uzumaki, your 'master' is Uchiha Sasuke." Tenten laughed at Naruto. "Then for Tenten, your 'master' is Hyuuga Neji."

Tenten looked at Tsunade; not laughing anymore. "Tell me you're joking, Tsunade-sama." The older woman just shook her head and said, "I'm not joking with you". Tenten looked as if she was about to crumble to pieces when Tsunade said that.

_This must be what he meant that day. God, just kill me._ Tenten thought.

Naruto wondered who the hell Uchiha Sasuke was. He was sure he didn't know any Uchihas or any Sasukes. Anyway, Tsunade had asked him and Tenten to go look for their 'master'. She said something like; they have something for you, don't keep them waiting. Then, before they knew it, they were already out of the Principal's office.

Naruto thought about how he was going to find Uchiha Sasuke when he had no idea what the other boy looked like.

"I see you've accepted the Special Class system," a voice spoke. Naruto immediately turned to the direction where the voice came from. And there stood Uchiha Sasuke; leaning against the wall.

"H-how did you know?" Naruto tried to pretend that he wasn't nervous.

"Hn, dobe." That one sentence made Naruto forget all about his nervousness.

"You're not answering my question, teme!"

"You're now looking for your future 'master', Uchiha Sasuke right?" The raven smirked, oh how he loved the shocked look on the dobe's face.

"Who told you that?"

"You don't have to look for him anymore, he's right here." If possible, Sasuke's smirk grew.

"Y-you…YOU'RE UCHIHA SASUKE?!" The blonde almost screamed.

"Yes, I'm your new master," the raven smirked. "Uchiha Sasuke."

"I'm not going to be your servant." Naruto didn't know why he said that but the words came out faster than his mind could even think.

The smirk on Sasuke's face didn't disappear, "You wouldn't want your guardian to be worried about you, would you? I'm sure he wouldn't like to hear the news of you being expelled especially since he's a teacher from this school."

Naruto's eyes widened. How did Sasuke find out so much stuff about him?! Seeing the look on Naruto's face, Sasuke explained himself, "since it involved money and I have to spend the rest of my days in high school with you, I had your background checked."

Now that Sasuke said it, it reminded Naruto about the benefit of being the servant. _The school fees of the servant will be free until graduation. Alright Naruto, you can do this. For Iruka-sensei, for Iruka-sensei._

"The Principal said you had something for me."

"Oh, that." Sasuke put his hand in the right pocket of his pants. "Take off your tie."

Naruto put his hand on his tie, "what do you want, you pervert."

Before Naruto could blink, Sasuke had already taken off his tie and replaced it with a different one. The new tie was different, unlike the normal red one, the new tie was black. Like the ones for students in the Special Class.

"Welcome to the Special Class," Sasuke said.

_________________________ _ __________________________________

Neji didn't know how he could prove to Tenten that the Special Class was not everything that she thought it was unless she experienced it herself. Even if the Special Class ended up being what she thought it was, at least he still had the pleasure of torturing her. To him, Tenten was the first girl he knew who didn't like the Special Class. Other girls were all crazy over them, desperate to become their servant. So many girls would have killed to get Tenten's position.

"Ah, you've accepted the fate of being my servant." Neji smirked. Like Sasuke, torturing others was like his hobby.

"You bastard, you're out to make my life hell aren't you?" Tenten glared at Neji, she wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face so badly.

"What are you talking about?" Neji chuckled, "So many girls out there are desperate for this position. You should be glad that you're chosen."

"Then choose the other girls out there! Why did you choose me?"

"Because you're interesting and this is kind of like a punishment for speaking of the Special Class like that the other day."

"Jerk."

"You should be calling me master," Neji smirked. He used his hand to signal Tenten to come closer.

"What," Tenten looked at Neji, annoyed.

"Take off your tie."

Tenten did as she was told, she already knew about the tie-changing thing from Shizune, the Principal's secretary. For a moment there, Neji looked kind of shocked when Tenten suddenly became so cooperative. After changing the tie, Neji spoke again.

"Go get your new skirt at the office; you'll be changing to the ones that girls from the Special Class wear."

Naruto hadn't thought of his current class when he read the paper that Tsunade gave him. Now that he thought of it, he realized this: _Being the servant of the member of the Special Class means you have to attend the same classes as your 'master'. Therefore, the servant won't be able to see their current classmates until graduation. _

If that is the case, then he wouldn't see Sakura again! He wondered how he was going to live with that. He had been looking forward to school everyday because of Sakura and now that he's not going to see her anymore, there was nothing else to look forward to anymore.

He closed his eyes and sighed into the pillow when an idea struck him.

"I should confess to her before I go to the Special Class! Then I will have an excuse to meet her outside school since I can't meet her in school anymore." He smiled at himself for thinking of such a magnificent idea.

Naruto was smiling so brightly the next day in school that there wasn't a need for the sun that day. He had asked Sakura to go steady with him yesterday night and she agreed! He never thought things would go so smoothly.

"Stop smiling dobe," Sasuke said, annoyed. The blonde's smile was blinding him. They were currently in the classroom waiting for lessons to start.

"Heh, I can't help myself, teme. Anyway, I have good news to share!" Naruto said excitedly, he hadn't told any of his friends about his new relationship with Sakura yet since he hasn't seen them.

"What," Sasuke tried to sound uninterested but actually, he was really curious to know the reason to why the blonde was smiling so much today.

"On the first day of school, I met this girl called Sakura and she was really pretty. I asked for her-"

"Get straight to the point. I don't have time listening to your nonsense." Sasuke cut Naruto off before he continued talking about unrelated stuffs.

Naruto pouted but continued nonetheless, "I asked her to become my girlfriend and she agreed! Isn't that awesome?"

"Very," Sasuke said sarcastically. Even though he didn't have feelings for the dobe, he didn't like the idea of Naruto having a girlfriend. It felt wrong.

"Che, bastard, I bet you've never had a girlfriend before."

"Never," Sasuke confessed, "I am not interested in girls. I'm gay."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, "Too much information, teme."

Right after Naruto finished his sentence, their teacher; Kakashi arrived. "Take out your books students and turn to page 56."

Tenten was practically suffering in the Special Class. Before she stepped into the class, a couple of Neji's fan girls ran up to her and passed her love letters asking her to pass them to Neji. Then after she got rid of those fan girls and went inside class, Neji passed her a book asking her to copy the whole book by the end of the day.

"This is your first job as a servant," Neji said as he tossed her a notebook. "This is Hinata's. Be sure to finish copying everything by today and return it to her."

"Why can't you go to the bookshop and get these photocopied?" Tenten asked. "It's obviously more convenient."

"Of course I know about that. I just wanted to give you some work to do."

Tenten rolled her eyes. '_Some_ work indeed', she thought. She looked around the class, looking at the students. Shikamaru was sleeping, Gaara staring into blank space, Hinata reading her textbook and Sasuke talking to Naruto. Tenten sighed, a few days ago she was laughing in the office when she heard Sasuke was Naruto's master. Now, she envied Naruto instead. At least he didn't have to do as much as her.

"Naruto is so fortunate being that Uchiha's servant." She complained to herself silently so that nobody could hear her but unfortunately, Neji heard her.

Neji chuckled, "You think he's fortunate?"

Tenten nodded, "At least he doesn't have to do as much work as me." She rolled her eyes again.

"The work Sasuke wants his servant to do is _different_. He hasn't even started yet."

Tenten snorted, "Like I'll believe you."

"It's up to you. In case you don't know, all his previous servants didn't last for long. The longest I can remember was one week, the shortest was one day. I don't even remember how many students dropped out because they couldn't take it anymore. The last time I counted was 23. Or was it 24?"

"What..?"

"Sasuke doesn't care about how others use their servant. For him, he uses servants to kill time. Life for us is boring you know. We need servants like you need to spice up your life a little."

If Kakashi didn't arrive on time, Neji would have landed in the hospital.

"Shikamaru, why didn't you tell me Sasuke had chosen a servant!" Ino asked Shikamaru. "No, it should be: Why didn't you stop Sasuke from choosing that blonde as a servant! There are much better blondes out there, for example: me."

They were having their breaks now and Ino had been pestering him since she came to sit with him and Chouji.

"It's obvious Sasuke is not interested in you, Ino. Stop wasting your time." Shikamaru said, yawning while Chouji laughed.

Ino pouted, "Whatever. At least there is still Sai-Sama!"

"The blonde you guys were talking about just now…Is he called Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Yea," Shikamaru answered as he took a bite of his burger.

"Oh."

"Do you know him?" Ino asked her best friend.

"He's the guy I told you about."

Ino looked surprised, "The one that asked you to be his girlfriend yesterday?!"

Sakura only nodded in response. "Oh, there's this new guy, Lee. He seems pretty interesting, I kind of like him."

"Huh? I thought you were already together with Naruto?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm only together with him because he wanted me to. I never told him I was interested in him. He assumed everything."

"But Sakura…that is still considered as two-timing him." Ino said, frowning. She didn't like the way Sakura treated the guys around her.

Sakura shrugged, "I don't care."

"Dobe, eat slowly. You'll choke with the rate you're eating." Sasuke said as he played with his food. Naruto didn't slow down and continued eating his ramen. "Is the food here so nice?"

Naruto nodded. How could Sasuke not know? The ramen in Konoha High is one of the best!

"Do you know how to cook?"

"Yea," Naruto answered as he wiped his mouth with a tissue. "Why?"

"Good. This is your first job as a servant."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, confused.

"You'll make bento for me everyday." Sasuke smirked.

"Can I refuse?"

"Do you want to be expelled?"

Naruto shook his head.

Tenten never thought Neji was kind. But he proved her wrong. He bought her share of food when he went to queue for his. Well, Tenten was touched. She finally felt that being his servant wasn't that bad.

"Hey, thanks. I never thought you would be this kind." Tenten said as she took the plate of food from Neji.

"Oh, I'm not."

"Don't be shy. You deserve my thanks for helping me buy my share."

"I only bought your share because the auntie told me that it would be cheaper if I brought two. But if you insist, I accept your thanks." Neji smirked.

"I take back my thanks." Tenten said. She knew she shouldn't have changed her opinion of the jerk so fast.


	3. Chapter 3

**And so my reign over this story finally begins! Now the rest shall officially be mine, mine. I made chapter two and three one chapter because well, I felt like it. I'm excited! And so, I shall begin to mold this awesome story!**

… **ah, I don't know what to write… I don't want to disappoint you people… you know cause my brainwaves are different then sempai's… I hope the difference in authors won't make to huge of a difference… I'm not going to like… blow up Konoha High or kill off twenty people or anything… it should be fine.**

Naruto'd never made a bento before and quite frankly he wasn't even sure how. He'd always just gotten ramen from the school. He had a bento box that Iruka got him several years back so he at least had some of Sasuke's lunch requirement finished.

"I don't even know what kind of food the teme likes." He mumbled while slamming the refrigerator door shut angrily. If it was up to him he'd just shove a whole bunch of ramen in the damn bento box.

"The teme?" Iruka asked as he entered the kitchen, he had been on his way to wake Naruto up when he heard the rattling of the contents of the fridge. He spied the small pale orange bento he got Naruto when he started the second grade. The bento had a chibi fox in the corner and blue paw prints in random places. The box was a bit childish and Iruka wondered why Naruto would start using it now, in high school.

"Yeah, Sasuke-teme; my new 'master'. He wants me to make him a bento everyday, but I don't know what kind of things you put in bentos and even what he likes." Naruto exclaimed while raking his hand's through his already messy hair.

Iruka smiled, "Tell you what. I'll make his bento today and you just sit back and watch." Naruto's eyes widened, "Really? You'd do that?!" Iruka nodded before pulling some items from the fridge, "Why don't you make some daifuku for you two to share."

"Yosh!" Naruto exclaimed, ramen may be his favorite but daifuku wasn't far behind. As he grabbed the flour from the cup board he absently wondered what ramen filled daifuku would taste like… he'd just have to try it some day.

(I'm a page break XD)

"Oh, I see you copied the entire book." Neji said, mildly surprised at the large folder in Tenten's hands. He honestly hadn't expected her to, "Good job. Now, I want you to make another, extra copy just incase." Neji said while handing her back the copy she made. (She already returned the original to Hinata).

"You jerk! I spent all night doing that and now you expect me to do it again?!" Tenten yelled angrily. The bastard couldn't do this to her – she had her own life too! The look on Neji's face however, told her that yes – he could do this to her.

She sighed before reluctantly taking the folder back and stuffing it in her bag; she was seriously beginning to regret not getting herself expelled.

(I'm a page break. XP)

"Naruto!" Kiba yelled anxiously as he spotted his blonde friend in the hallway by his locker. It had been days since he had last scene his blonde companion and he wanted to talk to him. Naruto turned after shutting his locker and spotting Kiba who was rushing towards him, waving his arm in greeting. Naruto waved back.

"Hey Kiba, what've you been up to?" Naruto asked as Kiba stopped in front of him and leaned on his knees to catch his breath.

"H-hey Naruto. I've been good, though I was better when you were still in Iruka's class. We never even got to pull off that prank we were planning." Kiba said after regaining his breath. When school first started they had formed this huge plan for their next assembly, but they never got to go through with it because Naruto was transferred to Sasuke's class so they were never able to.

"Aww man! I remember that prank – it was awesome! I wish we could've done it." Naruto groaned, the prank they planned was fairly simple. First they would place cherry bombs covered in clay behind the toilets in the boy's bathroom and then they'd get into the sprinkler system and dye the water a vibrant pink. Once that was done they'd light the bombs and in several minutes – Boom! The toilets would explode, and the smoke would set the fire alarms off, Kiba and Naruto would hide in a closet (where there is no sprinkler head) and anyone and everyone that wasn't Kiba and Naruto would have to spend the rest of the day as pink as a flamingo. Not to mention, the boys would have to go to the far bathroom instead of the larger more convenient one.

"We can still do it you know. You could come over one day and we could finish up the plans. There's supposed to be an assembly this Friday so we won't have any trouble sneaking around." Kiba said with a grin causing Naruto to grin also.

"We should! How 'bout I go over to your house tomorr-"Naruto started before he spotted a head of pink hair, "-Sakura!" he yelled, and said girl turned and looked at him. He waved before pushing through the mounds of people to get to her – leaving Kiba behind.

"Oh hey Naruto… shouldn't you be heading to class?" Sakura asked uneasily before glancing around for Lee.

"Yeah, but I wanted to say hi first." Naruto said, not noticing the pinkette's lack of interest, "I was thinking maybe we could go out this weeke-"

"Sakura-chan! There you are, I've been looking all over for you!" Rock Lee yelled while running towards the two, effectively cutting Naruto's question off.

"Hey Lee." Sakura greeted with a smile, "How've you been?" she question, completely ignoring Naruto who stood there gaping like a fish. _Why are they standing so close? _He thought, but before he could voice his thought, the late bell rang signally class would be starting in three minutes.

"See you Naruto." Sakura said before grabbing Lee's arm and dragging him off to her class. Naruto continued to stand there as he stared at his retreating girl friend's back, gaping like a fish.

"Wh-what just happened?" he questioned aloud.

(I'm a page break ^_^)

Sasuke shot another worried glance at Naruto. Class had started ten minutes ago and the blonde had not said a word to him. Normally he would've come into the class and started yapping away till Kakashi made an appearance. However, there was still no Kakashi and still no chatter coming from the blue-eyed blonde next to him.

"Dobe, are you alright? Did you forget to drink your coffee or to take your sugar pills this morning?" Sasuke asked, his voice a dull monotone. He couldn't have Naruto thinking that The Great Uchiha Sasuke cared for the dobe's well-being… not that he did or anything.

Naruto ignored Sasuke's question, he just couldn't figure out why Sakura ignored him to talk to some stranger, AND to hang all over the… busy-browed guy. Naruto shuddered, the guy was loud and weird; surely Sakura didn't like him more than her own boyfriend, right? _He's probably a close friend of hers, that's all._

Sasuke growled, he was ignoring him – he could tell. But, Sasuke wasn't going to let the dobe get away with that, no way.

"Usuratonkachi – answer me when I talk to you." The Uchiha growled out. Naruto continued to ignore him and Sasuke growled once more. He was just about to smack Naruto upside the head when he suddenly turned to him.

"Sasuke, can I ask you something?" Naruto asked hesitantly. Sasuke smirked, there was his blonde.

"You just did." Was Sasuke's smart reply, Naruto opened his mouth to retort but Sasuke held a hand up, "I'm kidding. Ask away."

"If you're dating someone, but they are… ah, never mind. It's just my imagination." Naruto said before smiling brightly, "I made a bento like you asked!"

Sasuke frowned, what had Naruto planned on asking? Sasuke shook his head. It didn't matter. If the dobe wanted to keep his problems to himself then he could suffer alone. Sasuke smirked.

"Really? Did you get what I asked for too?" Sasuke questioned while leaning towards Naruto's face.

"Wh-what? You didn't ask for anything else!" Naruto squeaked, his face red from how close Sasuke was.

"Ah yes, that's right. I was planning on just taking it." Sasuke breathed and Naruto shuttered, he could feel Sasuke's breath fanning his face. Sasuke leaned even closer so their noses were practically touching. But before Sasuke could do anything else Naruto shot his arms out, smacking Sasuke.

"Usuratonkachi, what was that for?!" Sasuke exclaimed angrily while rubbing his cheek, who knew Naruto could hit so hard. Naruto pouted.

"For being a pervert, that's what!"

"I was just trying to take your pencil!"

"Then why was your face so close teme?!"

"Because dobe, your pencil was on the other side of your desk so I had to reach over you to get it!"

"Oh yeah? What about your pencil huh?"

"I don't have a pencil, that's why I was trying to take yours!"

"Yo-you thief! How dare you try to steal Kokubanfuki from me?!"

"What the hell dobe? You named your pencil eraser?"

"Of course I did, I wasn't about to name him Enpitsu! That'd be lame!"

"What's wrong with naming your pencil, pencil?"

And with that question Naruto broke into a rant on how WRONG and IMMORAL it is to name a pencil, pencil.

(I'm a page break -_-)

"Why is it so… girly?" Sasuke asked as Naruto presented him with his bento. Naruto frowned, it wasn't girly? It was awesome when he was younger so why would he call it… oohh…

"I got this bento when I was like seven, sue me." Naruto said, "Anyway, just open it. You didn't tell me what you like so I had to guess." Sasuke sighed before taking the lid off the bento.

"D-dobe… I didn't know you were so girly." Sasuke commented as he stared at the contents of his bento.

"Wh-what?" Naruto asked while looking at the bento also, he hadn't bothered to check what Iruka did and now he wished he did. Inside the box were three onigiri, pink pigs. There was also some stir fry, cherry tomatoes, and what looked like sausage and a small boiled egg put together to resemble a mushroom (1).

"I-I… I'm not sure what to say." Naruto breathed as he continued to stare at the cutesy bento.

"How'd you make the onigiri pink?" Sasuke questioned, concerned. He wasn't sure he would eat anything that wasn't colored correctly.

"I think it's um… I mean it's red sushi rice so… yeah." Naruto said, _Iruka, I am going to kill you – how could you?! _Sasuke plucked one of the the pigs ears up and popped it into his mouth before smirking.

"Cute dobe, you even made the pig's nose and ears out of naruto." Sasuke commented before finally eating one the onigiri pigs, "Not bad." Sasuke then proceeded to try a little of everything before deeming it safe and eating the bento. Naruto shook his head, his cheeks red in embarrassment, before turning to eat his now cold ramen.

(I'm a page break ~_~)

"Jerk!" Tenten yelled as she left the lunchroom. She had been enjoying her lunch, well as much as she could with Neji with her, when she noticed Naruto and the Uchiha. _He made Naruto make him a bento?! _She thought as she watched Sasuke eat an onigiri pig, _Th-there so cute… I wish I could cook like him. _

"You like bento?" Neji asked as he caught site of what Tenten was looking at. The girl shook her head, "I've had some a couple times, but I don't have a reason to make one." Neji nodded.

"I see. Make me a bento for tomorrow then." Neji said before taking a bite of his food. Tenten gaped, "What the hell? You want me to copy that damned notebook again AND make you a bento!?" Neji looked at her blankly before smirking.

"Oh, I understand. You can't cook – that's why you won't make me a bento." Neji said, as he watched Tenten twitch in anger.

"I can cook! I can make cute bentos like Naruto!" she exclaimed angrily, her face red from seething with anger.

"Don't worry Tenten, you lack of cooking skills is destiny, no use denying it." Neji commented. Tenten stood up before heading to the exit. Once there she turned and yelled 'jerk' at the top of her lungs.

And that's how Tenten got here, standing outside the cafeteria, completely furious. _I'll show him – I'll make the best bento he has ever tasted!_

(I'm a page break. T.T)

**Yay, I'm finished with chapter three! Kyaa~ I'm not sure if it was any good, but I think it's pretty good for writing it in one day. It was too disappointing, no? I hope not. Oh yeah!**

**Here is the link to what the bento looked like. Well, only what the onigiri and mushrooms looked like. ./2172/1808867592_**

**I haven't started on chapter four yet… I already have an idea as to how it's going to start and what the chapter will be about. I'm going to try to see if I can update every week. Like… um let's say that I'll try to update every… is today Thursday? I'm not sure, but I'll try to update every Thursday.**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, it's Thursday and incase you don't remember I said I'd try to update every Thursday. Go me! Some of you are like 'it's not Thursday' and you know what?! It's Thursday now. Seriously, my clock says it 11: 29 PM which means it's still technically Thursday… though the hands on the clock stopped moving an hour or so ago… its Thursday damn it! And yes – I procrastinated. I said the chapter would be posted Thursday yet here I am… writing it on Thursday. Anyway, here's chapter four!**

**DISCLAIMER: +At the Naruto series studios+ I told you I was going to shoot, but you didn't believe me! Why didn't you believe me? +Makes a hasty escape+ Naruto's not mine… didn't you see? I just failed the murder attempt… I love Kishimoto-sensei too much to kill 'em. That's why my weapon of choice was a paint ball gun!**

Now, it's a little known fact that Tenten's ancestors devoted their lives to the making and using of weapons. It's also a little known fact that because they were always busy with their tools they never had time to… cook a proper meal. This fact explains why Tenten was currently lying – most likely half dead – on her kitchen floor covered in flour and various other ingredients. This also explains why the kitchen didn't look much better. Of all the various cooking utensils, the only ones left intact were the rice steamer (which they used everyday) and… well, to be frank that's it. Tenten's family isn't a pack of cavemen, sure they only ate rice and grilled fish, but that didn't mean they weren't experienced cooks! Though, judging by the globs of… food on the ceiling and walls, that's probably a lie.

"I'm an idiot." Tenten mumbled to herself, her eyes shut to block the scarring images of her kitchen. She was scared to look, scared because one of the globs of food might try and attack her again. Even so, Tenten successfully made a bento for her and Neji. She probably wouldn't eat it (perhaps because she knew what was in it), but she'd be damned if Neji didn't. She had put her best effort and that was all that mattered, right? Tenten groaned, to Neji, effort probably wouldn't cut it.

(I'm a page break :3)

Naruto dropped his bag on the floor and slumped in his seat tiredly. Iruka had refused to help him with Sasuke's bento, so the blond sacrifice tooth and nail to make a bento as good as Iruka's and one not as girly. He had been so distracted by Iruka's show of, dare he say it, gay-ness that he forgot to eat his daifuku and present Sasuke with his ohagi. Speaking of which, the ohagi container was sticking out of his bag, most likely because he threw his bag down. Sighing, Naruto plucked it out of his bag before opening the container and sniffing the contents cautiously. It smelt okay for being in his bag all night. If he wasn't scared that Sasuke would find out the ohagi was old the blond probably would've given it to the Uchiha; instead, he opted for throwing it in the trash.

"Dobe, what's that?" Sasuke asked as he took his seat next to Naruto, setting his bag – unlike Naruto – on the ground gently. He motioned to the half open container in Naruto's hands.

"This?" naruto questioned while lifting the container slightly, "I made ohagi for you yesterday, but I forgot to give it to you." Naruto said before standing up and eyeing the garbage. He was just about to head over there and trash the dish when a hand on his wrist stopped him.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, eyeing Naruto curiously.

"Throwing this away, what else would I be doing?" Naruto asked, confused.

"No, I mean why are you throwing it away?"

"It's been in my bag all night, and I didn't want to give you old food" Naruto stated simply, 'Plus I don't want to die.' Sasuke frowned before tugging Naruto so he was sitting in his seat before grabbing the box of ohagi and plucking one out.

"They're still fresh, I'll eat them." Sasuke said before taking a bite. He wasn't a huge fan of sweets, but luckily the coating of sesame seeds toned down the sweetness.

"It's good. Thanks." Sasuke said before grabbing another ohagi and munching on that one.

(-.-)

Tenten watched curiously as Sasuke ate the ohagi Naruto had presented him with,

"Ah, I'm so jealous. Sasuke'd be happy with MY bento." She muttered absentmindedly. It wasn't fair, how come Naruto got the nice one and she was stuck with – Tenten glanced at Neji who was busy cleaning his desk – the rude one. 'I wonder if Naruto will help me make a bento for Neji.' Tenten thought before turning to the front of the class as Kakashi-sensei stepped in, his nose buried in his signature – and questionable – orange book.

(I'm a page break ~. ~)

Lunch was, to say the least, awkward.

_As Naruto waited in line for his ramen (Sasuke patiently waiting at their lunch table), the blond spotted Sakura and called her over. He asked her if she'd like to join him for lunch, just as she was about to say 'no' in favor of sitting with Lee, Ino jumped in on the conversation. 'You're eating with Sasuke-kun right?' the blond had asked, and Naruto nodded nervously. It was settled, they'd be eating lunch together._

And so now, here they sat. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, Kiba, and even Neji and Tenten all crowded together at one table. Sasuke sat between Naruto and Ino, with Sakura next to Naruto, Lee next to her, Kiba next to him, Neji next to Kiba, Tenten next to Neji, Chouji next to him, and finally Shikamaru between Chouji and Ino.

Sasuke watched angrily, as Naruto continued to try to strike a conversation with Sakura, who continued to ignore him to talk to Lee. Couldn't the dobe see she obviously didn't like him?!

"Dobe." Sasuke whispered, causing Naruto to turn towards him. "she obviously doesn't like you, that guy's probably her boyfriend too." Naruto blinked in confusion.

"W-what? Bu-but Sakura-chan is my girlfriend, that's why I asked her to sit here. Lee's just… a really close friend is all." Naruto exclaimed, how could Sasuke say such a thing?! Sakura-chan loved him! Sasuke's eyes narrowed, Sakura was obviously cheating on (his) dobe, and the blond didn't even know it!

"Oh Lee, you're so funny!" Sakura exclaimed loudly while hugging said boy tightly. A flicker of doubt and grief crossed Naruto's expression, and the occupants of the table cringed. Sure Sakura was most of their friends, but what she was doing was… cruel.

"Uh-uh Sakura-chan, I need to talk to you." Naruto said while tugging on his girlfriend's sleeve. The pinkette huffed before turning towards Naruto, anger flashing through her eyes.

"What do you want Naruto?" she questioned, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. Naruto frowned before standing up and gesturing for Sakura to do the same, she did. He looked at her with a 'we need to talk' look and she nodded before walking off with him, but not before saying farewell to Lee.

As soon as they were far enough away from the other occupants of the cafeteria, Naruto began to speak.

"Lee, he… he's uh… a close friend of yours right?" Naruto questioned hesitantly, afraid of what Sakura might answer with.

"Yeah, we're really close. He's so cool." Sakura started before ranting on about Lee. Naruto frowned before speaking again.

"You sure know a lot about him, you must've known him for a long time." He commented and Sakura shook her head.

"He's new here, but he's really talkative so…" Sakura trailed off, her eyes wandering over to where Lee was praising Tenten on her cooking, she having just presented her bento to Neji. The contents of the bento were a sickly green and something seemed to be crawling out of the container, but Lee didn't seem to mind as the dish crept closer to him and the other occupants of the table scooted away slowly.

"I see… maybe we should do something this weekend… go see a movie or something." Naruto said once Sakura turned her attention back to him. The pinkette sighed heavily in aggravation and Naruto quickly rushed to finish his sentence, "My treat."

"That'd be wonderful Naruto. We can go to dinner and the movies. Pick me up Saturday at six." Sakura said, seemingly happy with getting something for free. Naruto smiled at her enthusiasm before taking her hand and dragging her to the lunch table, not noticing her look of disgust at the small contact.

Once seated at the table, Sakura chattered with Naruto for a few minutes about their plans before, once again, turning her attention towards Lee.

"Usuratonkachi." Sasuke mumbled at Naruto's oblivious-ness. How could he be so unaware of Sakura's obvious cheating? The Uchiha frowned, if Naruto kept his relationship going with Sakura he was bound to get hurt, and quite frankly, a hurt Naruto didn't bode well with Sasuke. He'd just have to do something to get rid of the obnoxious pinkette…

(Flash back. . Kyaa~ it's so dark!)

"_Neko-san." A little Naruto called as he stepped deeper into the dark alley. He had seen a cute orange cat dart in this alley and he was intent on finding it, "Neko-san!" he called again, louder. The fact that it was night, and he lived in a bad part of town didn't seem to bother Naruto much as he noisily made his way through the dark alley. _

"_My, my… what's a cute little boy like you doing in a place like this?" a woman's voice purred from the shadows and Naruto backed up hesitantly._

"_I-I was just looking for Neko-san." He said nervously while taking another step back before bumping into something, or more like someone. _

"_Who's this?" the figure behind Naruto spoke causing Naruto to flinch. Before Naruto could step away however, heavy hands fell on his shoulders. _

"_Where do you think you're going?" the man asked in a gruff voice wile tightening his grip on Naruto's shoulder, causing the little boy to flinch. The women emerged from the shadows and laughed, her whole body shaking with the effort._

"_He's looking for some cat." She said before taking a drag from a cigarette. _

"_A cat eh?" the man asked while grabbing Naruto's chin and turning him so he could look at his face, "You like cats a lot?" Naruto shook his head frantically; he wanted to get home – to the orphanage._

"_You want to look like one?" the women asked before snatching Naruto away from the man and caressing Naruto's cheek fondly, "What do you say, shall we make this youngster look like a cat?" she asked her companion. The man smirked before pulling a blade from his pocket._

"_How's about we give 'im some whiskers?"_

(End of flash back. O.0 How'd it get so dark?)

**Yay, I'm finished. It's short again – I know. I'll make the next one longer, I promise. I just want to hurry up and post this since I said there would be an update every Thursday… though most of you won't get to read this till Friday… I think it's already Friday… my clocks stuck on 11:29 so I'm assuming it's already past midnight. The next update won't be in an odd hour of the night either. **

**Incase your wondering, every even numbered chapter there will be something on the character's past. Chapter two was Sasuke and this one – chapter four – is Naruto's. Maybe chapter six will show us why Sakura is the way she is… or maybe not.**

**I wonder what Sasuke is going to do to Sakura… seriously I do. I'm going to be introducing some more characters in the next chapter so look forward to it.**

**And just to make this chapter seem longer than it really is…**

**Sasuke: Your pathetic you know that?**

**Xena-chan (me): Wh-what? Why?**

**Naruto: He's right you know… What with getting people's hopes up and what not.**

**Sasuke: +nods+**

**Xena-chan: B-but… I'm writing you the way you want to be written!**

**Sasuke: Be that as it may… you're still pathetic.**

**Naruto: That's kind've harsh Sasuke, she is being generous enough to write us a yaoi filled life.**

**Sasuke: She can't control us!**

**Xena-chan: Oh yeah? Then feel my wrath!**

**Sasuke: +starts dancing around like an idiot+ What the hell?! +gasps+ Why the crap am I talking like a five year old girl?!**

**Xena-chan: Because, I'm exacting my revenge. I'm an avenger.**

**Naruto: +giggles+ That's Sasuke's line.**

**Xena-chan: Indeed, it is.**

**Sasuke: +peels of shirt+ Why am I stripping?!**

**Xena-chan: I didn't do it, honest! +glances around+ Naruto – get away from my keyboard! Strip Sasuke later!**

**Sasuke: +Puts shirt back on+ … thanks**

**Xena-chan: Your welco- Hey! Sasuke put Naruto down! No – stop taking each other's clothes off! Don't do that either! +erupts into a nose bleed+**

**Kakashi: That's all for now, I think the author might be dying of blood loss…**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's come to my attention that I'm a slacker… that all I've got to say. No big author's note today… Heh, I just rhymed. Say – day. **

**Oh! I just remembered! Tomorrow is my little brother, Randall's 9th birthday! That'll mean he's been diabetic for six years now. I'm so proud of him – he's such a strong little boy! …He's an annoying brat though. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto, and never will… unless… no that wouldn't work. I don't own Naruto, jeez don't rub it in!**

**Oh and thanks for all the review – I love them!**

So Naruto talked to Kiba; you know, to meet him over the weekend to formulate a plan and wreak havoc all over the school. Yeah. Anyway, Naruto had his entire weekend planned out; that is, until a certain Uchiha came along and screwed it all up. Originally, he was going to go over to Kiba's Friday and stay the night, and then he'd return home and freshen up for his date with Sakura at six. Then, he'd go back to Kiba's and they'd catch up some and then Sunday they'd buy their materials for their plan and then go to school together on Monday and put their plans into action. Uchiha Sasuke on the other hand, had different plans.

"Dobe, you're coming over to my house this weekend." Sasuke stated as they walked to their lockers together, it was finally the end of the day and the Uchiha had finally finished his plot to – for lack of any other word – destroy Naruto's relationship with – as Sasuke liked to call her – The Obnoxious Pinkette from Hell.

"Wh-what?!" Naruto exclaimed, gaping like a fish out of water. He brought his hand up and twisted his finger inside his ear to clean it out incase he heard incorrectly, "What did you just say?" _There's no way Sasuke said what I think he said _Naruto thought as he looked at his companion, shock clearly written on his face.

Sasuke sighed, "I said, you're coming over to my house this weekend-" and then as an after thought, "-dobe." Naruto gaped, again. He wasn't going to Sasuke's, he had plans and Sasuke never mentioned anything before hand. Besides, Sasuke knew about his plans with Sakura this weekend!

"No I'm not, and don't call me dobe." Naruto said while tugging open his locker and shoving his books inside, not bothering to take any books home.

"I'll call you whatever I want and YES, you're going to my house." Sasuke growled before pulling some books from his locker and stuffing then in his bag, unlike a certain blond he knew, he actually did his homework at home.

"Unlike you Sasuke, I already have plans. It's already Thursday so I can't just cancel now." Naruto exclaimed. He couldn't believe what Sasuke was saying. If he had wanted him to come over he should have said something earlier, and why the hell did he WANT him over?!

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going to Kiba's Friday, I'm hanging out with Sakura Saturday, and I'm going to Kiba's again on Sunday." Naruto exclaimed.

"Well, cancel Saturday. You can just come over then." Sasuke said simply, hoping he wouldn't have to use THAT method.

"B-but that's when my date with Sakura is!" Naruto explained, Sasuke was being so inconsiderate. Didn't he see how much this date meant to him? He really liked Sakura, and he seemed to like him to… that is, until he started attending the Special class. Maybe Sakura was jealous and so she found comfort in her friend, Lee. That had to be it.

"Look Usuratonkachi, I need help with a test and since it's YOUR job to make sure I pass you have to come over." Sasuke growled, here he was trying to protect the dobe from heartbreak and he kept denying him. It was starting to piss the Uchiha off. Naruto frowned, Sasuke was right… Kakashi had assigned a test and it was worth a lot of points…

"Well I guess I can come over BEFORE my date with Sakura, but I'll need to leave before six." Naruto mumbled and Sasuke frowned. It wasn't exactly what he was hoping for, but if he was coming over he could probably make him late for his date or something like that.

"Hn, dobe. I'll see you then."

(I'm a page break *_*)

Naruto was pissed. That wasn't all though, he was angry, ferocious, vexed, outraged, infuriated, galled, and any other synonym. To be short, Naruto was down right snarky. Why he was this way? Two words – Uchiha Sasuke.

_Naruto glanced at Sasuke's clock for the umpteenth time before letting out a loud sigh of relief and gathering his stuff. He and Sasuke had been studying since ten this morning, and he was practically dying of boredom. Several times he mention to Sasuke that they should take a break and do something fun but Sasuke always replied with 'If you skip your date and stay here for the night we can do something else'. This wasn't the answer the blond was looking for._

"_Where're you going?" Sasuke asked while looking up from his book, he'd never admit it, but he was practically falling asleep here, unfortunately this was part of his super deluxe plan so he had to withstand. _

"_I need to head home so I can get ready for my date." Naruto replied simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was. _

"_You should just get ready here." Sasuke said while standing up and stretching before motioning for Naruto to follow him. He didn't. _

"_I'm not getting ready here. All my stuff if at MY house, which is why I need to get ready at MY house." Naruto exclaimed. Was it him or had Sasuke been acting weird lately? And to think, he called him the dobe. Sasuke scoffed before grabbing Naruto's wrist and dragging Naruto off to one of the many bathrooms in the Uchiha compound - Naruto screaming the whole way._

"_What the hell teme?!" Naruto exclaimed as Sasuke roughly shoved him into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him._

"_You can take a shower here and I'll let you borrow some of my closes, there is no way you'd impress Pin- Sakura with your style" Sasuke said before turning the shower on to a comfortable temperature. Naruto frowned as his eyes scanned over Sasuke's clothes and then he thought about what he was planning on wearing. Sasuke was right, his style was clearly better than his. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest with a pout, it wasn't fair._

"_Dobe, quit pouting and get undressed." Sasuke growled as he noticed Naruto crossing his arms. Naruto didn't budge so Sasuke angrily threw the towel he got from under the sink on the counter and stomped over to Naruto before proceeding to yank his shirt up. Naruto gasped in shock and uncrossed his arms which – in his case – was a mistake because it allowed Sasuke to take his shirt off and toss it somewhere in the corner._

"_I was right!" naruto exclaimed while pointing a shaky finger at Sasuke who looked smug, "You are a pervert!" Sasuke's smug look dropped before he growled out an insult and unbuttoned and unzipped Naruto's trousers. Naruto's eyes widened and he shout his hand out – effectively knocking Sasuke's hands away before he tugged his pants down himself._

"_I can do it myself thank you." Naruto said before gripping his boxers and pausing to look at Sasuke, "Privacy please." Sasuke smirked before leaning against the counter as he continued to stare at Naruto._

"_No can do. To avoid you escaping I'll be right here as you clean." Sasuke said while crossing his arms. He wasn't a pervert, he wasn't in here to spy on Naruto, and it was all part of the plan. The look on Naruto's face however caused Sasuke to begrudgingly turn his head away and shut his eyes so Naruto could take off his boxers and get in the shower. 'We're both guys, why does he have to act li- ooh…' Sasuke thought as he remembered the day he told Naruto that he 'fancied the men'. No wonder Naruto was freaking out so much. _

"_You better not peek!" Naruto said followed by a slight rustling and the sound of Naruto's boxers falling to the floor. There was no movement before Naruto finally stepped forward, the Uchiha relieved that naruto hadn't tried to escape when suddenly Naruto broke into a run and flew past Sasuke and tugged at the door. Sasuke's eyes snapped open before he lurched at Naruto and hooked his arm around the blonde's thin waist._

"_No you don't." he said before pulling a kicking and screaming Naruto to the shower and throwing him inside and pulling the curtain shut._

"_Oww! That hurt you bastard!" Naruto exclaimed as he rubbed his bruised back side._

"_Just hurry up and take your shower dobe." Sasuke called over the sound of rushing water. Naruto sighed before clambering to his feet – seemingly giving up before – once again – trying to escape. Sasuke caught him. This was followed by many – failed – attempts._

"_I'm not going to give up." Naruto called from inside the shower ready with a witty comeback to what ever Sasuke planned on insulting him with. Much to Naruto's surprise however, he was met with silence. 'Did he leave?' Naruto wondered, surely Sasuke wouldn't give up that easily would he?_

"_Sasuke?" Naruto called hesitantly, wondering if he should poke his head out and check and see if the Uchiha was just messing with him. There was a slight rustling before the shower curtain was ripped open and Sasuke stepped in the shower in all his naked glory. Naruto gaped._

"_Wh-what?" Naruto stuttered, astounded with Sasuke's actions. Sasuke didn't say anything and instead reached for the neglected bottle of soap and squeezed some onto his hands before lathering it in Naruto's hair._

"_The hell teme?! I can do it myself!" Naruto yelled while trying to knock Sasuke away. His face red in embarrassment – Sasuke was too close for comfort. _

"_Apparently not since all you've tried to do for the past hour is run around my bathroom naked." Sasuke growled before stepping back and indicating for Naruto to rinse his hair. Naruto blinked in confusion._

"_It's been an hour already?" Naruto wondered aloud… he hadn't realized so much time had passed, but… if it'd been an hour and he got in at five then that meant…_

"_Oh Kami-sama, I'm going to be late!" naruto exclaimed before quickly shoving his head under the running water to get rid of the soap suds._

"_Finally he listens." Sasuke mumbled before yanking Naruto from out of the water and rubbing the conditioner into the blond locks._

"_Wash yourself." Naruto nodded at Sasuke's command, not bothering to fend off Sasuke's hands. The sooner he finished in the shower, the better._

"_Thanks for the clothes teme!" Naruto called over his shoulder while making a run for the front door, his stuff in his arms._

"_Hold on Naruto!" Sasuke called after Naruto who reluctantly stopped, "You'll get sick if you go outside with your hair wet!"_

"_The weather's still warm though." Naruto pouted as he glanced nervously at the clock – 6:20. Sasuke only sighed and threw the towel in his arms on top of Naruto's head before scrubbing the unruly locks semi-dry. Naruto gulped, a blush spreading on his cheeks as he realized just how close their faces were. At this proximity, he could tell that Sasuke really was blemish free – their noses were practically touching that's how close they were! Cobalt eyes stared into Sasuke's onyx ones. The Uchiha was only paying attention to the task at hand and – in the deepest, darkest, and tiniest part of Naruto's mind – the blond wished Sasuke would look at HIM, and not his hands as they worked to towel Naruto's hair dry._

"_Sasuke…" Naruto breathed and the Uchiha's eyes snapped out of their concentration to look into Naruto's eyes, who blushed in return. Sasuke smiled slightly, it was nice seeing Naruto like this – so quiet and at peace. His hands stopped and Naruto could only watch as Sasuke's face got closer and closer. Naruto's breath hitched as the towel fell to the floor silently and Sasuke's raised arms fell to rest on his hips as Naruto unconsciously brought his hands up to tangle themselves in Sasuke's hair. Naruto's eyes closed, not wanting to look into Sasuke's eyes that were looking into his soul as so many emotions passed through his own blue eyes._

"_Naruto." Sasuke whispered huskily before closing the almost nonexistent gap between them and pressing their lips together in a gentle kiss. The kiss however, only lasted for a few seconds before Naruto came to his senses and pushed Sasuke away who stumbled slightly. _

"_I'll be late if I don't leave now." Naruto said shocked, confused, and angry at what he had just done with the Uchiha. Sasuke could only watch as Naruto stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. He sighed and ran a hand through his raven locks, "That wasn't part of the plan._

_Outside, Naruto clambered into Iruka's car – which after much persuasion he finally got Iruka to lend to him for the weekend;, after all, he could pick up Sakura with his dad in the car, she'd laugh – and threw his stuff into the back before speeding off to Sakura's house._

And that is why Naruto was in the mood he was in. If it wasn't for Sasuke – he wouldn't have to be dreading facing an angry Sakura.

"Why did he kiss me anyway?" Naruto asked aloud as he stopped at a stop sign before turning onto Sakura's street, "I bet he did it so I'd blunder on my date with Sakura… that's it. Well, I'm going to make this the best date ever dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed before pulling into Sakura's driveway and jumping out of the car. Before he could reach the door however, Sakura came storming out in a pink dress, her face red in anger.

"Uzumaki Naruto, are you aware that you are thirty minutes late!" Sakura exclaimed as she came up to Naruto who was growling sheepishly before she stopped and blinked at Naruto's appearance, "He-hey… you look really good." She said as she stared at the tight black jeans and blue shirt he wore.

"Not as good as you." Naruto laughed while motioning Sakura to the car and opening the door for her so she could get in.

"Thanks…" Sakura mumbled, having not expected Naruto to be such a gentleman.

"So Sakura, if there any particular movie you wanted to see?" Naruto asked a huge grin on his face. He had a feeling this date would go perfectly.

"Well… I wanted to see The Proposal… i-if that's alright with you." Sakura said. Originally she was just going to demand he take her to a certain movie and take her to a certain place to eat, but when she saw him she realized just how lucky she was to have Naruto as a boyfriend. Then, when he opened the car door for her she regretted treating Naruto they way she had been the last couple of days.

"Sounds good with me, I've wanted to see that anyway – I can tell it's going to be funny." Naruto said as they drew closer and closer to the theaters. Sakura smiled and leaned back in her seat, maybe if she had tried to get to know Naruto more she would've noticed how much of a great guy he was.

"What do you want to snack on?" Naruto asked as they stopped at the concession stand, having already gotten their tickets.

"Oh… a coke is fine." Sakura said. In truth she wanted more, but Naruto had bought the tickets, and he was going to get them dinner too, and with the way she had been treating him she just couldn't ask him for more.

"Nonsense, I saw the way you were eyeing the gummy worms… you won't get full from just that, you don't have to worry about ruining your appetite. Sakura gaped, he had noticed her staring? Sakura blushed, he really seemed to care for her and the thought – though it made her smile – made the guilt build up in her even more.

"Th-thank you Naruto." She mumbled quietly, her face still as pink as her hair. Naruto smiled at her before turning to the worker and ordering drinks, popcorn, and Sakura's gummy worms.

(I'm a page break O.o)

"He really isn't that bad Tenten-san; he's just shy is all." Hinata Hyuuga said as she spoke to a very angry girl who called her out of seemingly no where to rant on about her cousin – Neji. Hinata wasn't even sure if the girl knew who she was talking to. Hinata cringed and moved the receiver away from her ear as Tenten began to screech something along the lines of 'Shy my ass'. Though, with the way Neji had been treating the girl, Hinata couldn't blame her. She had been so shocked when Tenten came up to her with a hand written copy of her notebook and introduced herself as 'Tenten, the Hyuuga bastard's new slave'. Feeling pity for the girl, Hinata had told her the next time Neji requested something be done for her to not do it and that when Neji asked her if she got the work she would claim she did.

"He doesn't hate you… No… Well, I can't really say bu-" Hinata was cut off by Tenten's ranting once again and sighed. Though she was naturally nice she knew she wouldn't be able to put up with Tenten's behavior much longer without snapping at the girl.

"Look Tenten, I'm not sure how you got my numb-" Hinata stopped once more as Tenten – once again – interrupted her. The Hyuuga's eye twitched before she – despite herself – screamed into the phone.

"If you like him so much then why don't you tell him!" she yelled angrily before slamming the receiver down and huffing slightly.

On the other side of town…

Tenten stared at her cell phone in shock, had Hinata – the quietest, shyest, and nicest girl in the world just snapped at her? Tenten shook her head before Hinata's words set in.

"H-hey! I never said I like him!" she yelled angrily, "Do I really sound like I like him?" she asked aloud, much softer.

(I'm a page break =_=)

"This is really good Naruto, I didn't know you had such a good choice in food. I've never even heard of this place." Sakura said before taking another bite of her soup. The date so far had gone perfectly and with their date drawing to and end Sakura realized she wasn't ready to go home yet, to leave Naruto. Before Naruto could reply to her comment Sakura spoke up.

"How about we do something else after this… we could go to the park maybe and just star gaze or something." Sakura suggested, suddenly nervous that Naruto would say 'no'. Naruto's eyes widened in shock, he honestly hadn't expected that.

"Sure, I'd love that." Naruto said with a smile and Sakura smiled back to and finished her food. She couldn't understand why she was so happy, it wasn't like her. Hell, even when she was hanging all over Lee she hadn't been this happy.

Sakura giggled as she plopped down on one of the park benches and patted the space next to her. Naruto had just finished telling her of his prank he was doing with Kiba on Monday. It was childish, but she had to admit it'd be funny to see. They had walked through the park just talking about their interests and such before stopping here to take breather. Sakura smiled up at Naruto before taking his hand and twining them together.

"Sa-Sakura?" Naruto asked hesitantly as he stared at their hands in confusion, since when had Sakura willing touched him this much?

"Naruto… tonight's been a wonderful night, I'm the luckiest girl in the world." She breathed as she squeezed Naruto's hand gently so her would look at her. He did. She giggled slightly at his 'dear in headlights' look before resting her head on his shoulder, "You're a great guy Naruto."

"Um… Sakura… its getting kind've late, I'm thinking maybe I should take you home now." Naruto said while pulling his hand from Sakura's grip who only looked at him and smiled – her cheeks still the same pink they'd been all night.

"Okay, whatever you want."

The ride to Sakura's house had been – in Naruto's opinion – awkward. Sakura had insisted they hold hands the entire way, but that wasn't what bothered Naruto so much. It was the fact that she had rested her head on his shoulder again and stared at him with a daze look the entire time that made it awkward.

As soon as they pulled into her driveway he quickly clambered out and opened her door for her before hurriedly ushering Sakura to her front door.

"Don't be so nervous Naru-chan." Sakura giggled, having come up with the name at some point during the drive home. Naruto only chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I had a great night; we should do it again sometime." Sakura said while fiddling with the hem of her dress nervously.

"Ye-yeah… that'd be cool." Naruto said before glancing around, looking for an escape route.

"Oh!" Sakura gasped before smiling coyly, "No wonder your so nervous." She said as she took a step towards Naruto who had to use all his will power not to step away.

"You want a goodnight kiss but you're worried about my parents." Sakura said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry. They won't mind." Naruto could only nod dumbly as Sakura stood on her toes to press a chaste kiss on his lips. She pulled away and smiled brightly and Naruto was about to sigh in relief and run for the hills when she snaked her arms around his waste and leaned in once more.

"Saku-" he started, but was cut off as their lips met once more, this time for much longer. Naruto only stood stock still, eyes wide through the entire thing wondering why he had the urge to push her away. 'Wasn't this what I wanted?' Sakura giggled once more and released him before talking a step back.

"Um… see you Monday." He said before turning and walking towards Iruka's car – resisting the urge to run since Sakura was still outside watching him.

"Bye Naru-chan!" she called, and Naruto could picture her waving her arm with that stupid blush and smile on her face still.

The entire drive home – he would have to call Kiba and tell him he wasn't staying the night again and to meet him at the store the tomorrow – Naruto couldn't help but think about the kisses he shared with Sakura… and how the single one he had with Sasuke was so much better.

**Woah! What the hell just happened? Sakura was NICE?! Not only that, but Naruto wasn't all clingy with her during the entire date?! What's happening to him? I'll tell you what's happening – Sasuke's happening. Please review! I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope you're happy I updated it a day early! **

**Oh, and the chapters a little longer like I promised it would be! Look forward to chapter six of Special Class!**


	6. Acceptance

**Ah~ Thanks much for the reviews! I'm glad you liked it. Oh and for those of you who asked, Neji and Tenten's relationship is less complicated and will come to a close very soon. Then the story will just focus on Sasuke and Naruto's relationship. I never was one for side pairings. **

**I'm going to start naming the chapters from now on too.**

**Lot's of flash backs in this chapter… well, not really, the flashbacks are just long is all.**

**As I'm sure you noticed… I updated early again but that's because I have to go somewhere tomorrow morning and I won't have time to post it and then I won't get home till Sunday night so instead of making you wait… **

**I won't update early again – it's a promise. Heh, that's a lie.**

**DISCLAIMER: ****It is with a heavy heart that I admit that the exclusive rights to Naruto aren't mine, nor will they ever be. T.T It's so sad.**

**~Chapter six~**

**Acceptance**

Sakura was a sweet girl; she always was and she believed she always would be. She was pretty too, with her soft pink hair and her shocking green eyes. None of that mattered to Sakura though, because she didn't want to be the princess in the fairy tales that always needed to be saved. No, she wanted to be the fairy godmother that brought joy and happiness to those who deserved it. Only after she put everybody first, did she want to be pampered like those princesses – she had to earn it like everyone else. That was what Sakura wanted.

Unfortunately, as Sakura grew older her beauty bloomed also and she found herself popular and amongst others who were 'special'. She hadn't wanted that, but despite herself the shadows pulled her in. Tricking her and making her believe that as long as she was beautiful, she would get everything she wanted and be happy. Only… something was missing. Where was the happiness popularity had promised her? Had it been a fluke, a lie? No, it had all been an illusion with the appearance of truth. Sakura wasn't happy with this, the illusion hadn't been pleasant at all.

"_Hey Sakura!" a faceless man called, the boy she had been going steady with for quite some time now. She smiled and rushed over to him, gripping his outstretched hand. This was happiness, this was what she wanted. _

"_Are you ready to go?" Sakura asked and the faceless man nodded and pulled her to his car where they proceeded to drive to the theaters to see one of the new movies playing. _

_The date had been spectacular, what every girl wanted. Sakura was supposed to be happy. He kissed her goodnight before bidding her goodbye and she stepped into her home, her warm smile faltering. _

"_Something's wrong with me." She muttered as she walked into the living room where her mom was eagerly awaiting to hear how her date went. Her mother was still a teen at heart, her father too. Though he was in his study, because even though he was laidback he didn't want to see his little girl growing up. _

"_It was amazing!" had been Sakura's first words as she took a seat beside her mother and began to replay what had been 'the best night of a girl's life'. Her mother had 'ooh'ed and 'aww'ed at certain parts before finally taking Sakura into her arms and smoothing her hair in a motherly fashion._

"_Sakura, I know exactly how you feel, and I can tell your going to be so happy with you life. Just like me." Her mother had whispered and Sakura had to use all her strength to hold back the tears. 'Just like you? This is how you feel every time you see father and hug him and kiss him? If it is, then I… I pity you.' She thought as her mom released her to stare into her eyes, Sakura smiled. Her mother's eyes had been so genuine, surely their feelings were different. She saw how her mother's eyes lit up when father twirled her like a ballerina before claiming her lips, she saw how she giggled whole heartily when he suggested they go on a date for 'old time's sake'. Sakura knew, knew so perfectly as if she were looking into a mirror, that her eyes didn't hold any of the emotions her mother felt. 'Oh mom, I wish I could be happy like you.' She had thought desperately before excusing herself and departing to her bedroom. _

"_Something's wrong with me." She mumbled once again before dropping to sit on her bed, her hands trembling for all they were worth. _

"_I'm not happy… I'm just not happy." She choked back a sob before falling back to lie on her bed before bringing up an arm to rest on her eyes. She was grateful she hadn't bothered to switch on the light. Before long tears prickled at her eyes and even when she put all her effort forth the tears fell anyway. If this was what happiness was supposed to be, then she would rather be miserable and alone. She wondered if perhaps she should call one of her friends and tell them everything she was feeling, but… none of the girls she hung with were actual friend material._

"_I messed up Kami-sama… forgive me." She sobbed as she rolled over to bury her face into her blankets, the tears pouring like rain now. _

"_I promise I'll change. I'll be who I wanted to be, not this. Anything but this." She whispered, finally making up her mind. She spent the next few hours planning on leaving popularity behind and making real friends. _

_However, the best laid plans often go astray. _

Sakura had never gone though with her plans, thus she was – even she would admit it – the bitch she was today. Yes she had made real friends along the way, but would they stick with her if she continued to corrupt herself this way? Sakura thought back to recent events.

"_Huh? I thought you were already together with Naruto?"_

"_It doesn't matter. I'm only together with him because he wanted me to. I never told him I was interested in him. He assumed everything."_

"_But Sakura…that is still considered as two-timing him." Ino said, frowning. She didn't like the way Sakura treated the guys around her._

Judging by the frown that marred Ino's face – Sakura's closest friend – her friend's would not stick beside her. It was only the truth. She remembered being indifferent, not caring what Ino had had to say and Sakura realized that that girl that day, and the girl that stood in for her for the past couple of years wasn't her.

"I've lost myself." She whispered from her spot against her bed. If it wasn't for her date with Naruto, these thoughts probably wouldn't even be plaguing her mind. Naruto – the boy she had practically cast aside – had showed her a glimpse of happiness, and she was determined to not only test the waters, but to dive right in. She wouldn't plan like last time, no. She would go with the flow. She'd follow the open rode, drive where fate may lead her, and let the pieces fall where they may. That was the path to happiness, and Sakura planned on taking it no matter whom or what got in her path.

"And I'll find myself on the way… and then my eyes can light up like my mother's."

(I'm a page break T.T)

"He's a stuck up bastard, he's rude, and we have absolutely nothing in common!" Tenten ranted to herself as she paced about her room. Though she denied it liked she was accused of committing murder, Hinata's words the other day had affected her more than they should have. Why was that? It's not like it was true, had Hinata even listened to a word she had said?! Apparently not. How could someone possibly deduce that she liked that guy when she had been seething with rage and coming up with every insult possible? An intuitive person, that's who. Tenten frowned, Hinata really was a smart girl… but, she wasn't PERFECT so perhaps she was wrong.

"The only feeling's I have for him are hate, and annoyance, an-and… argh!" Tenten exclaimed while tugging her bun's loose. She growled before stomping towards her bedroom door so she could go to the dojo to blow off some steam but stopped in her tracks as she passed by her mirror.

She stood there, for nearly an hour looking at herself closely. Not because she was vain, but because she was lost in thought. Shakily she brought her hand to her hair to stroke it, only for it to get caught in a tangle.

"That's right… I used to never like to brush my hair so I'd always put it up so I wouldn't have to… Momma hated when I did that."

_"Tenten, you come here now!" Tenten's mother bellowed as she chased after her daughter. Her little girl had just gotten out of the bath and dressed and had put her hair up without brushing it first so that it was curly and lumpy. _

_"When your hair dries you're going to wish you'd listened to me." She called, quieter this time because she knew her daughter was poking her head around the corner to see how angry she was. She loved her daughter, she really did. She had been the same way when she was a child, but she wanted Tenten to be as happy as can be. And while she thought that weaponry was her everything, she knew that love was more important. She had made the mistake of not putting her marriage first, and because of that the bond she shared with her first husband broke. She didn't want Tenten to make the same mistake she did. _

_"Momma… why do you like your going to cry?" Tenten asked while emerging from behind the corner and walking up to her mother. She had never seen her mother so close to tears, and t frightened her to see her so… vulnerable. _

_"Is it because I didn't listen to you?" Tenten asked and her mother shook her head, "Does my hair really mean that much to you?" Her mother only wiped a stray tear from her eye and smiled._

_"Tenten… it's not how I feel. Your hair should mean a lot to you. It's a women's pride and joy, whether you're a girly girl or a tomboy." She said while gently undoing the messy buns and running her hands through the thick hair to remove all the tangles. _

_"You'll find that you're naturally bad at things as you grow older, but there'll be things your good at too. However, sometimes the things your good at won't matter and you'll need something else to fall back on… that cushion is your hair." Her mother said warmly as she finished combing Tenten's hair, "We'll put it back up when it's dry." _

_"Momma… I think I understand now." She mumbled while turning to hug her mother before a thought struck her, "Hey momma, can you teach me to cook?" Her mother only laughed nervously and muttered an excuse about touching that subject another time._

Tenten picked up her brush and combed the tangle out slowly, she had come to like brushing her hair and she often brushed it for comfort. She sighed and stared at her rich chocolate locks roll off her shoulders, they were beautiful. Neji's hair was better though. Tenten sighed, there she went thinking about Neji again.

"Oh… maybe that's why Hinata thinks I like him… I do talk about him a lot." Tenten mumbled before breaking into a huge grin and giggling. Maybe she DID like Neji, even with his asshole-yness.

"I guess its okay to like him… even if it's just a little."

(I'm a page break ^_^)

_I should have known better than to let you go alone. Its times like these I can't make it on my own. Wasted days, and sleepless nights, an' I can't wait to see you again._

"Shut the hell up radio – you don't even know!" Naruto yelled angrily while flinging his alarm clock at the radio, affectively 'shutting it up'. He had been like this since he got home from his date with Sakura, and it didn't seem like his mood would be lifting anytime soon. He hadn't been able to get that kiss with Sasuke out of his head and it was starting to piss him off. Not to mention the radio had been spouting all this love, romance shit and it was grating on his nerves.

"Damn it Sasuke, you're a bastard!" he yelled before 'eep'ing and clasping his hands over his mouth while listening with bated breath, hoping to Kami-sama Iruka hadn't heard him. Fortunately it seemed luck was on his side as Naruto was met with silence minus the occasional 'pop' from his smoking radio.

Iruka had been worried about Naruto ever since he got home, seeing how he was supposed to go straight to Kiba's. He chose to pass it off as after date jitters, but it was Sunday now and Naruto hadn't left his room despite his futile attempts to get him to come down for first breakfast, and then lunch. Iruka sighed while plopping on the couch, what was wrong with his boy? Iruka jumped slightly as there was a shout from Naruto followed by a loud crash before he slumped in his seat and rubbed his temples.

"I hope he doesn't break too much." Iruka mumbled before he heard Naruto shout once more, "That boy's going to be the death of me."

If Naruto thought about it, if he thought really, really, re-----ally hard then he might be able to grasp the concept of everything he was feeling. Problem is, he doesn't want to think because it hurt too much… his brain and his heart. Why did it hurt his heart again? He understood the brain part but… who knows. Naruto heaved another sigh before throwing his orange comforter over his head. Wasn't it just last week he had been under here squealing over his new girlfriend?

"Freakin' Sasuke… screwing everything up. The teme." Naruto mumbled to his self while crossing his arms with a huff.

"Does Sasuke like Sakura?" Naruto wondered aloud, he was always staring (glaring) at the girl, and he had told Naruto to give up on her (for both of their sakes). Naruto gasped, "I was right! He kissed me so I'd blunder up on my date so he could whisk Sakura away… oh wait… Sasuke's a flaming gay." Well, there went that idea.

"Well it doesn't matter anyway!" Naruto exclaimed, "Because I like Sakura and Sakura likes me and that's all that matters. Who cares that Sasuke kissed me, it was probably all that studying we did going to his head." Naruto ranted before tugging his comforter off of him because there was a lack of air in there. Naruto whined before jumping up and ripping his door open.

"I'm going to Kiba's!" he told Iruka as said man jumped up in shock, ready to interrogate him only to be flabbergasted as Naruto whipped by and then somehow got inside, in the car, and out of the driveway in the span of .2 seconds.

"See? I'm perfectly fine. I'm going to go to Kiba's and finish up our prank plans and then buy the stuff and I'm going to act like I don't think Sasuke can kiss better than Sakura. Problem solved – erased from my mind completely – file deleted – recycling bin emptied."

(I'm a page break =_=)

Ignore - to refrain from noticing or recognizing. Synonyms – disregard, avoid, cold-shoulder, etc. Example – Naruto was doing everything in his will power to _ignore_ Sasuke. Which - much to Sasuke's disappointment - was surprisingly easy. It was already Wednesday, and despite the fact they were together all through class, the dobe had managed to avoid any contact and conversion with him, and it was beginning to piss Sasuke off.

It was logically impossible to avoid someone you were glued at the hip with all day, but Naruto had somehow managed to accomplish the amazing feat. Damn. Maybe Sasuke wasn't trying hard enough to catch Naruto's attention. No, that wasn't it; he was an Uchiha after all. It was that damn Pinkette from Hell's fault; she was practically surgically attached to Naruto's right arm, and the dobe didn't even seem to mind! Wasn't she just hanging all over that other guy – Lee was it? – Just last week? Sasuke sighed; this is what he wanted though wasn't it? For Naruto to not get hurt? Now that Sakura was being faithful to Naruto, Sasuke had nothing to worry about…

"Other than the fact my dobe still isn't talking to me."

And the fact he just called Naruto 'MY dobe'.

(I'm a page break +_+)

Neji noticed things; he noticed things all the time. He is very intone with his surroundings and nothing makes it past him; nothing. So, when he – like usually – started to boss Tenten around, he noticed she'd accept the chore with not insult and complete it as soon as possible.

Hinata notices things; she notices things all the time. She is very intone with her surroundings and nothing makes it past her; not even the things that make it past Neji. For instance, Neji had noticed Tenten's odd behavior, but he didn't notice how she was constantly blushing and averting her gaze; Hinata did. Not only that, but Hinata knew why. Something her cousin would possibly never understand unless Neji and Tenten talked about it; which they wouldn't. This is why Hinata came up with an amazing plan – a super deluxe fantastical wonderfully amazing plan. It was fool-proof and simple too. All she had to do was set them up and that was the hard part! Hinata giggled softly before looking away from Neji and Tenten to return to her work; she couldn't stray from her class work after all.

(I'm a page break ^_^)

"Something's up with Sakura." Ino stated as she took her seat next to Shikamaru in lunch, slamming her lunch tray down loudly. All day the pinkette had been hanging all over Naruto, and she was even exceptionally nice to Ino and all her other friends. Something was definitely up.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru drawled as he rested his head in his arms. Indeed he had noticed their friends strange behavior, but he would rather watch and see what happens instead of talking about it for an hour like Ino probably wanted to do.

"What do you mean troublesome?! She's not even sitting with us, and she always sits with us!" Ino exclaimed while motioning to said table where a nervous Naruto sat between a clingy Sakura and a scowling Sasuke, "And look – Lee's sitting with us!" Lee could only nod frantically along with Ino, his eyes brimming over in tears. Shikamaru sighed before sitting up.

"What do you suppose we do?" Shikamaru asked and Ino smiled brightly.

"We confront her obviously." She stated before standing up and Shikamaru sighed again.

"Now?" he asked.

"Yes, now." She demanded before pulling Shikamaru from his seat and dragging him off to Sakura.

Chouji looked around confused as he set down – his tray piled a mile high with food, "Where'd they go?"

(*_*)

"Haruno Sakura!" Ino exclaimed as she stood before said girl who looked up in confusion, "You're coming with me!"

"Wh-what? I can't, I'm having lunch with Naru-" Sakura began only to be cut off as Ino yanked her up and out of her seat, and then out of the lunchroom – a lazy Shikamaru following behind slowly.

Naruto blinked.

"What just happened?" he asked aloud.

"Oh, so you're talking to me now?" Sasuke asked angrily causing Naruto to jump up in shock; he'd forgotten the teme was there.

"…"

"Damn it Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed when Naruto turned away and didn't speak another word, "Why the hell won't you talk to me?!"

"…"

"Oh, I get it. You think that just because you have a girlfriend that makes you too good to talk to me!" Sasuke exclaimed, what was he getting at? The Uchiha had no idea what he was saying, but this was his chance and he would be damned if he didn't take it.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… I thought we were friends." Sasuke commented softly and Naruto glanced at him in confusion. Friends? That was all Sasuke saw him as? After he had… had ki-kissed him?!

"The hell Sasuke?!" Naruto all but shouted as he stood from his seat angrily, "Friends don't kiss each other like that!" Sasuke stood too and slammed his hands on the table causing the other occupants of the cafeteria to emerge themselves in silence.

"If I remember correctly you returned the gesture!"

"I didn't return it you asshole – I was just shocked!"

"Shocked enough to tangle your hands in my hair!"

"I was trying to pull your hair to get you off of me!"

"Liar! You're the one who started it!"

"How did I start it?!"

"No one told you to say my name like that!"

"Y-you… I… that's because…" Naruto stuttered before looking away from Sasuke, a blush staining his cheeks, and Sasuke's eyes widened in understanding.

"Naruto… do you…" he stopped. Of course Naruto didn't like him like _that_. It was obvious the blond had those types of feelings for Sakura. Besides, he didn't feel the same way… right? Right?

"Do I what?" Naruto shouted, tears prickling in the corner of his eyes from anger and confusion. He didn't know what was going on anymore… why had he said Sasuke's name? He had wanted the Uchiha to look at him, that much was clear, but… why? Naruto shook his head before turning and leaving the cafeteria, leaving Sasuke to his thoughts.

The once silent cafeteria broke into a flurry of whispers as soon as the lunch room doors slammed shut and Sasuke could only stand stock still before leaving the room, not wanting to listen to the whispers anymore.

(I'm a page break ^^)

"Oh Sakura… why didn't you say something sooner?" Ino asked, after Sakura finished telling her story.

"I figured you think I was crazy." Sakura mumbled.

"Of course not, I'm your best friend." Ino said before glancing over to the sleeping Shikamaru, "we better get back to lunch"

"Yeah, I want to see Naruto."

**So~ What'd you think? I liked it, though the beginning made me really sad. This chapter was really hard to write mainly because I didn't know WHAT to write. I figured they better fight some, so BOTH of them can be confused. It's only fair. Poor guys don't even know what's wrong. Anyway, the last part, Sakura told Ino everything she was feeling and all the crap. It's not the last thing we'll see regarding her feelings, but I wanted to end the chapter because I didn't know what to write. **

**If you have any suggestions, they'd be much appreciated. The next few chapters will be filled with crazy stuff like Tenten and Neji's relationship, Sakura and Ino's friendship, and Sasuke and Naruto confusion… nyaa~**

**Please review, they make me so happy! I don't care if it's a good job or a threat to update sooner (though I prefer long reviews) I'm happy as long as you review!**


	7. Falling

**DISCLAIMER: This was written back in the days when Naruto fan fiction writers didn't write disclaimers… alright, alright. That's a lie; sue me. But really… I don't own Naruto.**

**~Chapter seven~**

**Falling**

_Falling is a paradox... you finally get away from everything, you feel the wind in your hair, you experience it and love it, and then… you hit rock bottom. Sometimes the falls not too far, and you can land safely on your feet. Others, you fall forever and when you crash down you don't make it. I'm falling… and I'm scared. Scared because I know the ground's so near._

**Part one**

"Sure… that sounds like fun." Tenten replied and Hinata smiled brightly. She had just asked Tenten if she'd like to go with her to the movies this Friday, and the girl had said yes. Step one – completed. The Hyuuga decided the best way to 'give Tenten and Neji a little push' was to force them together under good circumstances. What better way then to tell them both to meet her at the movies Friday and then not show?

"Good. I'll meet you there at five." Hinata said before bidding the other girl farewell and walking off, a smile on her features. Neji had done so much for her, and so it was the least she could to do to make her cousin truly happy. He did have a crush on Tenten after all, why else would he treat her so? Hinata smiled again, her conniving plans made her giggle; she hadn't done something so exciting in forever. 'Hinata the Matchmaker!' she thought excitedly before bringing her hand to her mouth to stifle the laughter.

(I'm a page break ^^)

Ino stared worriedly at Sakura as they walked to lunch together. It was Thursday now - a full day since they heard the news concerning a certain Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke - and the girl hadn't said a word to her. 'Probably from shock.' Ino thought as she sat in her seat next to Sakura, before glancing around, noting that Naruto was no where to be seen and Sasuke was radiating a killer aura from his usual seat, munching on cafeteria food. 'Is it true Sasuke-kun? Did you really kiss Naruto?' Ino thought and she couldn't help but frown at the information. She would've been a wreck as soon as she heard the news if it wasn't for Sakura's reaction… the pinkette had looked so vulnerable, a trait Ino hadn't seen in her friend for years, 'She's usually so confident.'

"Sakura… I-I… are you alright?" Ino asked, not sure on what else to say. She couldn't say that it was a rumor, Sakura wouldn't believe – hell, she didn't even believe it. Besides, anyone with eyes could see the sexual tension radiating between Sasuke and Naruto – it was in their body language. Ino watched as her friend shook her head before smiling at her.

"I'm fine… I'm sure Naruto and Sasuke… Naruto likes me better, I'm positive – so everything will be alright." Sakura said before turning to her food, she had wanted to talk to Naruto, but half the school was stalking the poor boy and since he wasn't at lunch she'd just have to do it some other time. She trusted Naruto, how could she not? She was the one who had been unfaithful – it was only fair if Naruto got to mess around a bit too. And besides… from what she heard, Sasuke had forced himself on Naruto. 'Yes, everything's alright.' Sakura thought before smiling a genuine smile at Ino who was still staring at her. The blonde smiled back before finally eating her food - Sakura was okay, and that's all that mattered.

(I'm a page break 0.0)

Not many people know it, but the view from the school's rooftop is absolutely amazing. You can see the Sakura blossoms – which are in full bloom – from the courtyard, there's a small stream that runs through the trees (one Naruto didn't even know about) and the sun isn't in ones eyes but instead shining magnificently through the trees. Breathtaking, the view was absolutely breathtaking – and Naruto got a front row seat. He felt bad for ditching Sakura to come here instead, but he had to get away from Sasuke and that evil dark cloud hanging over his head.

"It's not fair." Naruto mumbled as he lay down on the hard ground so he could stare up at the clouds, he wasn't one for such things - but it helped clear the mind. He once saw this guy watching the clouds, and the man had seemed truly happy… maybe, just maybe he could be truly happy too. What right did Sasuke have to go and screw everything up for him? First the teme made him loose sleep by waking up early to make him lunch, and now…

"That was my first kiss you bastard – I was saving it for Sakura-chan!" Naruto half shouted, he didn't want to be caught up here. Loosing his first kiss wasn't what really bothered the blond though… it was the fact that he liked it…

"That's because it was my first so naturally it'll be likeable." He grumbled before shutting his eyes, 'Jeez, cloud watching is boring~' Naruto mumbled before rolling over to stare at the pavement beneath him… 'Sasuke's eyes are grey… like the ground here.' He thought absentmindedly before shrieking in surprise.

"D-did I just? What the hell?! Sasuke's eyes aren't grey! They're dark, dark, dark, dark, dark grey – pretty much black!" Naruto ranted before rolling over once more, not wanting to look at the ground, "Not that I look at Sasuke's eyes that closely… nope, no sire!"

Naruto sighed, he'd hate to admit it, but he'd been doing this all week… He'd see something and instantly compare it to Sasuke – it was horrible! He was like some lovesick school girl, he was like – dare he say it – Sakura! Sure, he liked the girl, but ever since their date she was all over him and always telling him this sappy crap on how the moon never beams without bringing her dream of the beautiful Annabelle Lee… wait… what? No.

"Damn it!" Naruto exclaimed while sitting up and tugging at his hair angrily, "Now I'm spouting some freaking poetry shit!" Sakura's a beautiful girl, but an annoying girl. Though, despite how annoying she could be she was nice, she made Naruto feel wanted… not that Sasuke didn't make him feel that way… she just made him feel… correctly wanted? If that made any sense. Naruto smiled before peeing over the edge of the wall to glance at the few students eating in the courtyard.

"I should probably go eat lunch now… before Sakura gets angry." Naruto thought before standing up and heading to the door, "Heh, she does this cute thing with her hands when she's angry… not as cute as when Sasuke wrinkles his nose though, and the way his eyes light up whe- Wait! I didn't just… again?" Naruto froze in his tracks… there he went yapping about Sasuke again! The blond chuckled nervously while scratching the back of his head.

"Maybe I should quit talking… if someone heard me they might think that I LIKE Sasuke… heh, they'd have to be crazy to think that though… Me? Like Sasuke? Yeah right!"

(I'm a page break TT ^ TT)

Tenten glanced around nervously, she was currently standing outside the movie theaters looking for a certain Hyuuga Hinata, but the girl was no where to be found. 'Maybe I should call her…' she thought before reaching for her phone before it suddenly started vibrating.

_Incoming call: Hinata_

"Hello? Yeah, I was just about to call you… late? Oh, okay then. See you then. Bye." Tenten shut her phone before stuffing it in her pocket and entering the building to get in line. Hinata had said she was running late and to go ahead and get the tickets and that she'd meet her at the concession stand. Poor girl, she sounded so nervous over the phone. 'I'll have to tell her there's no need to get so worked up over being late.'

"Alright, here are you tickets. Enjoy the movie." The man at the concession stand said while handing Tenten her tickets and bidding her farewell. She stuffed the tickets in her pockets before heading over to the concession stand so she could wait for Hinata to arrive.

"Tenten!" a voice exclaimed and the girl snapped her head to look around, she knew that voice – it belonged to a certain Hyuuga, and it wasn't Hinata.

"Ne-Neji?! What are you doing here?" Tenten asked, blushing despite herself.

"To see a movie." He deadpanned before shaking his head, "Anyway, have you seen Hinata anywhere? I tried calling but she wouldn't answer her phone."

"I just got off the phone with her. She said she'd be here at the concession stand in a few minutes." Tenten answered, not thinking anything suspicious as to why they were both here, looking for the same girl. They stood in silence – well, as silent as you could get while in a loud room – before finally Tenten dug out her phone and called Hinata.

"No answer?" Neji asked and Tenten nodded her head, perhaps the girl lost signal while on the way here – the theaters were pretty far out in the middle of nowhere. Neji nodded before creasing his brow, he was worried about Hinata. She was never late to anything they did before, so why now? It wasn't uncommon to see the two cousins hanging out, but Neji never got tired of spending time with Hinata.

(I'm a page break -_-)

Hinata smiled as she peered around the corner as Tenten and Neji stood side by side waiting for her to show. She was surprised they hadn't figured her plan out by now, but it was probably the fact that the two were so wrapped up in each other they didn't put two and two together. The girl smiled again before bringing out her phone to send a message to the two.

_Something's come up. I won't be able to go to the movies with you. I'm sorry, try to have fun anyway. – Hinata_

She watched as the twos phone vibrated in unison and they both excused themselves to check the message before shutting their phones.

"Oh, that's too bad." Tenten mumbled to herself before she noticed Neji walking away, "Hey! Where are you going?" Neji stopped and glanced at her before speaking.

"The person I was attending this movie with didn't show so I'm going home." Neji grumbled, slightly put out that he came all the way here only for his cousin to not come. Tenten blinked coincidence much? She was about to bid Neji farewell and leave her self when she remembered that she already bought a ticket, not to mention one for Hinata as well. She didn't want to waste them, but she really didn't want to sit alone. Without thinking of it to much, Tenten spoke.

"Wait! The person I was meeting here didn't show as well, but I already bought both of our tickets so… maybe we could… go together." She said blushing as Neji eyed her in shock. It was only now that she realized she practically asked the boy out, "As friends!" she blurted as if that would help the situation any better. Neji smiled, truly smiled and Tenten had to restrain herself to not grin like an idiot.

"I'd like that."

"I-it worked." Hinata muttered to herself as she watched the two get in line for snacks, chatting awkwardly. Hinata 1 – the couple 0! She was just about to step closer when suddenly someone tapped her shoulder and she turned around to see a scruffy brunette.

"Hinata – I was right, it is you!" the male exclaimed before grabbing her hand and shaking it enthusiastically.

"Ah yes… I'm so-sorry but do I… do I know you?" she asked hesitantly and the stranger grinned.

"Not personally. My names Kiba – I go to school with you, you may have seen me around." He said and Hinata could only shake her head.

"I'm sorry, I haven't." she said, her eyes flickering to the couple who were now ordering their snacks. She looked back over at the boy, Kiba who's smile faltered slightly.

"Oh… well um… Oh! My friend – he's in the Special Class like you. You may have seen me with him; he's on the short side with blond hair and blue eyes." Kiba said while moving his hands about wildly, as if that would help her picture the boy described. Blond hair, blue eyes… Naruto…

"Ye-yes, I've seen him. He's Uchiha-san ser-servant right?" she asked, of course he was Uchiha's servant. She knew the boy perfectly; she practically stared at Naruto all through class. He seemed really nice and if she had the courage she'd approach him… but she didn't.

"Yeah, that's right!" Kiba said, "He was actually supposed to be meeting me here." Hinata gasped, Naruto-kun, here?

"O-oh… th-that's nice…" Hinata said before glancing over at the couple only to see them receiving their snacks and heading to their respective movie. Kiba caught sight at what the girl was looking at and grinned.

"You're friend left you?" he asked and Hinata looked at him before nodding slowly as he broke into a Cheshire cat grin, "Well lucky for you, Naruto bailed on me a little while ago so I'm stuck here by myself. How'd you like to see a movie with me?" Hinata frowned; it seemed she wouldn't be able to see Naruto…

"Na-Naruto-kun did?" she asked and Kiba nodded, "Oh… well I was about to lea-leave." She said before Kiba frowned.

"I see…" he said before smiling half heartily and Hinata sighed, she couldn't do that to the boy. It'd be rude.

"Bu-but I guess I can stay… to see a movie wi-with you." She said and Kiba broke into another huge grin and she smiled back shyly before he took her arm and he dragged her off to go get tickets.

(I'm a page break * ^ *)

Tenten walked out of the movies theaters with a smile, all she did was watch a movie with Neji, but the stupid grin and blush just wouldn't fade.

"You alright?" Neji asked, eyeballing her curiously, "You didn't knock your brain loose when you fell earlier did you?" Ah yes, the entire time Tenten had been nervous – extremely nervous. She had been so nervous that when she went to sit in her chair she missed and plopped straight on the ground, it had hurt a little and was super embarrassing, but Tenten didn't mind because it was nice hearing Neji laugh. Tenten beamed at Neji as they stepped outside into the cool night air.

"That was fun!" she exclaimed while quickly glancing around to make sure there was no one they knew before taking a attentive step towards Neji and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Neji's eyes widened but before the Hyuuga had time to do anything else Tenten pulled away, flashed him a grin, and then ran for the hills.

"Tch." Neji exclaimed while bringing his hand to his mouth, but it wasn't enough to hide the smile the graced his features.

"I'll get her back Monday." He said before stuffing his hands in his pockets and heading home.

(I'm a page break \m/(.)\m/ )

Hinata's scheme had gone anything but according to plan. She was supposed to watch the date mature and see if it stewed and fermented any, but other things had come up… Hinata shyly glanced at Kiba who was once again yapping about his _white_ dog _Akamaru_, but she really didn't feel the need to point out to him that naming the dog _red _probably wasn't the smartest thing he'd done – besides, Kiba had said he had the dog since he was a little boy. She - despite herself – had enjoyed Kiba's company, and she could see why he and Naruto were friends – they were so much alike. If she didn't know any better, she'd think they were fraternal twins.

She had liked Naruto ever since she first saw him – the boy had been smiling and laughing at the time. Though in her eyes Kiba would never quite match Naruto's beauty, he still had the same great personality and besides it was all about what was on the inside.

Kiba bid her farewell before running off saying something about calling Naruto and Hinata took her leave. It didn't matter if her plans had been foiled, she could always ask Tenten how her weekend had been and the girl would pour everything, all that mattered was that she finally found her servant – Inuzuka Kiba.

(I'm a page break )

**Gyaa~ I've been mauled by plot bunnies and they're relentless. These chapters are easy to write, yet hard at the same time… I'll still update – no worries… just don't be surprised if you see that I've posted a new story (one-shot, because that's all I'll do)… I swear, those bunnies will be the death of me.**

**P.S. The next chapter WON'T be falling part 2… why? Because I'm evil and I like to confuse you readers. Not to mention, the two chapters have absolutely NOTHING to do with each other than the fact that somebody's falling. P.s The first part in italics is a little bit from Falling part 2… Heh, I'm so evil. **

**P.S. This was easy-ish to write… I had trouble with one aprt and then the rest came easy. Yay for that. Oh… and the one page break that looked like **

**This ---- \m/(.)\m/ was – incase you couldn't tell – someone putting their fists out like 'Yeah! Rock on!'**


	8. Pretense

**Mou~ Fanfiction messed up one of my faces on the last chapter. It was the 'Yeah! Rock on!' one. It left its eyes out so it ended up looking funny.**

**Ohhh~ So many plot bunnies… I'm drowning in them, they won't stop multiplying. Ugh, I'm going to be dead by the end of this week. **

**I was away for the week – on urgent business – and so I couldn't update because I wasn't about to lug my fifty pound 1998 computer halfway across the state… don't be angry, because if I did my computer might have complained about the air being dry and then he would've had a seizure and then I would never get to update… ever!**

**Mmhmm.**

**So, we've seen mostly Naruto's thoughts on Sasuke, so in this chapter we're going to see Sasuke's side of things… and let me warn you - Sasuke's a pervert and you'll find that his thoughts keep leading to some inappropriate things (which is why the rating changed). Of course, Sasuke doesn't think of Naruto purely in that way… he just does is subconsciously to avoid facing the fact that he just might love Naruto. Aww~ Poor guy, doesn't even know he's in love~**

**There will be some Sasuke and Naruto POV because… it just needs to be done so as to prevent the dreaded disease of confusion to spread amongst you loyal readers because of my insane writing.**

**DISCLAIMER: I'll own Naruto when I own the world. But that doesn't look like it is going to be happening in the future... At all.**

**X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X~X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X~X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X**

**~Chapter eight~**

**Pretense**

"Naruto, Naruto - you won't believe what happened!" Kiba exclaimed as he raced up to his blond friend Monday morning. Said blond shut his locker and turned to look at him in question as to why the dog lover was so happy.

"Hinata-chan had chosen me to be her servant!" Kiba exclaimed happily, and none to quietly. Naruto blinked, and then blinked, and then blinked some more… who?

"Hinata-chan? Who's that?" Naruto questioned while walking towards his class, well his and Kiba's class as of now.

"How do you not know who she is?! She's the best - she's a beauty - she's got brains - she's Hinata Hyuuga!" Kiba exclaimed while frantically waving his arms as if he were in an advertisement. Naruto had to bite back a laugh at his friend's antics.

"It looks like butter - it tastes like butter - I can't believe it's not butter!" Naruto exclaimed, a perfect re-enactment of Kiba's previous antics. The dog lover's face fell… had he really sounded like that? No, it was probably just Naruto being Naruto again. The blond chuckled at his friends face before stepping into his class, well Sasuke's class - not that he was thinking about that fact, no.

"I'm kidding Kibbles. So, this Hinata chick, she's like… a goddess or something?" Naruto questioned while lingering in the doorway, god forbid he have to carry on with this conversation with Sasuke breathing down his neck. Kiba smiled and a dreamy look passed over his face.

"Yes~ I think I'm in love~" he said while clasping his hands dramatically. Naruto took a wary step back and rubbed his eyes to make sure he hadn't imagined the hearts in his friend's eyes or the rotating, floating flowers and sparkles - he had. Weird… maybe his subconscious was telling him something.

Speaking of someone's subconscious telling them something, Sasuke was currently reading a book titled Dreams and your subconscious and in it he read that dreams are just your subconscious putting things together that your conscious couldn't… cool. But, if that was true, then that would mean Sasuke's subconscious - whom he dubbed Chidori - was telling him he wanted to have hot sweaty man sex with Naruto, and maybe one of his bentos for lunch… Sasuke shook his head, he thought that wrong. His subconscious - Chidori - was telling him he wanted Naruto's super deluxe bento… just his super deluxe bento… and maybe bodily contact with Naruto in the form of innocent kisses… and then hot sweaty man sex.

Sasuke scoffed angrily while tapping the pencil he stole from naruto several weeks ago against his desk harshly so that the paint was chipping off. What the hell was with his train of thought and running off to… _those _kinds of things?! It was weird, and more importantly gay - like rainbows and little tiny sheep finger puppets that have elastic inside so when you go to operate it, it feels like your shoving your finger up someone's ass!

The Uchiha sighed - something he as an Uchiha shouldn't do - before stuffing Kokubanfuki (The name of Naruto's pencil incase you forgot) in his bag, he didn't want Naruto to steal it back; he had become attached to the thing. Really, what had brought up all this insane and socially wrong thoughts? … Maybe it had something to do with that kiss between them - Sasuke really wasn't sure - or maybe it had nothing to do with anything and it was just a phase in Sasuke's life, another mild stepping stone he'd have to cross. Yeah, that was it - all this is just the heat getting to him… the weather heat.

(I'm a page break ^^)

'Sometimes, that dobe really annoys me' I thought as I glanced at said blond who was leaning against the door frame talking to his friend… why is he here anyway? He'll be late if he doesn't leave soon, or dead if he gets any closer to my usuratonkachi. I mean really, do people not know the meaning of gay anymore? If you spend half your time talking to your guy friend you must be gay. If you smack your guy friend's ass because he did a good job, you're gay. Listen people, that's no good sportsmanship or being a good friend, it's called being gay and you probably want in your friend's pants… Kiba, there's no way I'm letting you in Naruto's pants.

The bell rung signaling the start of class and I watched as Kiba took a seat next to Neji's cousin. The Hyuuga girl chose HIM? Seriously? Whatever, it's not like it's any of my business, besides I have more important matters to attend to - like Naruto who is cautiously approaching me as if I were a killer whale or something… or a ramen burglar. Maybe if I set a bowl of ramen on my desk he wouldn't spend three minutes walking over here, and another five just sitting down. He's being immature and childish, and so help me it's going to stop.

"Naruto." I started as soon as said blond - finally - took his seat. He flinched away from me and pretended to be looking for something in his bag, but I continued anyway.

"I need you to be a proper servant and cater to my needs." I stated bluntly and smirked at his miffed expression. It was cute to watch, but that's not important right now. What's important is that I need to set things straight between us.

"I'll bring you a bento tomorrow." He mumbled quietly before waving at some random classmate and mouthing words to a nonexistent conversation. As if I'd fall for that. It's obvious he's trying to get me to stop talking, but his horrible acting won't work on me… because I'm an Uchiha and I can naturally catch bluffs.

"That'd be enjoyable, but I'd rather you talk to me and quit avoiding me like the plague." I stated while yanking his sleeve so he'd look at me instead of continuing to make a fool of himself. Anger flashed in his eyes momentarily before he - despite the fact he's supposed to be angry with me - yanked his arm away and confronted me.

"I'm not avoiding you! Your just being difficult!" he exclaimed and I scrunched my nose in distaste. Me? I'm not the one being difficult, he is! I'm just being mature about this! Sure I'm making it seem like this distance between us is his fault – though really it's mine, but don't expect me to admit it again – by ordering him around and playing the 'I'm your master' card. Fine, I'll be reasonable, I'll be an adult about this so long as it gets Naruto talking to me and I in his pants… err… pantaloons? No – so long as we can be – dare I say it – friends again. I sighed heavily before speaking.

"Your right Naruto… I'm being difficult." I started and I had to hold back a smirk at Naruto's lost expression.

"I-I, you… what?" he questioned cutely and I chuckled at his adorableness mentally.

"I said, I'm being difficult and I want to say… to say that I'm… I'm sorry… for everything… for kissing you… for being an ass about if afterwards… for the school finding out… everything. I'm truly sorry Naruto." Wow, I'm proud of myself. That was really hard to say, and the dobe better appreciate it.

"You… yo-you mean it? Ser… seriously?" he questioned and I nodded my head. He looked confused for a second and I watched as a flurry of emotions passed over Naruto's face, so fast that I wasn't even able to recognize any. He smiled.

"Okay Sasuke, I forgive you. We can be friends and forget that incident ever happened." He stated and I was mildly surprised that he gave in so easy. I half expected him to rant on how Yes, I should be sorry for all the things I did, but… he just… accepted it… odd.

(I'm a page break *^*)

Is it wrong that I'm doing this? Pretending that everything's okay even though it's not? Well, it doesn't matter if it's right or wrong! All that matters is that I'm okay and that it's right for me. It doesn't matter that when Sasuke said he regretted kissing me and for everything else, it doesn't matter that my heart broke into a million little pieces, and it doesn't matter that I don't even know why his words hurt so much…

He has no idea what he's doing to me, so it is best that I forgave him and pushed my feelings aside. Friends, that's what we are and I'm okay with that… it's what I want. I love attention and so, the more friends the better but… It hurts, it hurts so much and I'm so confused… I don't know what's wrong anymore. I should be happy he's sorry for taking my first kiss, I should be happy that Sakura's faithful to me, but I'm not… I'm confused, angry, hurt and I don't even know why.

I turned away from Sasuke who was staring at me for the umpteenth time today, looking at me with that, THAT look. That caring look, the one that says 'I'm happy were together again'. What's worse, is he doesn't even notice he's looking at me that way, and I don't even know WHY he looks at me that way… Do I look at Sasuke that way? I hope not, it'd be embarrassing.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye before frowning and staring down at my desk. Why is he doing this to me? One moment he's a bastard, the next he's a… a friend… no, it seems like more than that… friends don't stare at each other the way we stare at each other. I catch myself staring at Sasuke with a look saying that nothing else matters. With a look that says all the ramen in the world could blow up and the recipe could be lost forever but that'd just be okay… because I have him. That's not right though, because I have Sakura – the girl I was chasing after since I first laid my eyes on her. I don't look at her like I look at Sasuke though… I don't look at her like I'm in love… love… Sasuke… Do I… Do I love you Sasuke? Do these feelings mean that I love you?

I frowned before glancing at Sasuke who for once wasn't looking at me and I couldn't help but to smile at how his eye lashes fluttered and how the classroom lighting made his hair shine blue. I couldn't help but smile at the quirk of his lips, and smile at his porcelain skin…

'Heh, yeah right… there's no way I could ever love Sasuke' I thought as I glanced down at my note book, Sasuke's amazing, handsome, smart, beautiful but… to love him? Nope, never – won't happen… Loving him would be going too far. I like him – that much is obvious but how can you love someone you don't even know? How can you love someone when you have someone else? You can't, and so I don't. These feelings I feel for Sasuke will go away, or better – I'll feel them for Sakura instead. So for now, I'll just push these feelings aside and be the friend Sasuke wants me to be.

(I'm a page break 0.o)

The next couple of weeks found Sasuke and Naruto going about their lives like master and servant, like friends. Sasuke still glowered when Naruto and Sakura got too close for comfort, and Naruto had to scold himself every time he kissed his pink-haired girl friend on how it's wrong to imagine that she's Sasuke. All in all, any outsider would think they were the best of friends, with no problems whatsoever.

However, if that outsider were to take a small peek inside their minds they'd see that nothing way okay. They'd see the strain placed on the two boys as they pretended that they only saw one another as merely friends… they'd see how their act, their charade… their pretense… was about to break and fall to pieces.

**X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X~X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X~X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X**

**So… I wrote this kind've oddly in my opinion… It's like two in the morning and I don't think my mind is stable… so forgive me if it's confusing or anything - it makes sense in my head. **

**Yeah… please review; because they make me feel happy and appreciated… thanks to all the people that have reviewed, and the ones who have alerted and favorite-ed… they all make me so happy.**

**Oh, Kiba's nickname Kibbles - it just came to me and I thought it was cuter than dog-breath or some of those other name my fellow Fanfiction authors use… Heh, I also own a sheep finger puppet named Fleece and every time I operate him (by sticking my finger up his ass) I feel like I'm violating and raping him. He has elastic too (which would be like 'a tight ring of muscle' as some of you may have read if you read those saucy SasuNaru's) it ensures that he won't slip off my finger.**

**Things are about to get – dare I say it – ANGST-FILLED! Because I'm so nice I'll tell you that the next chapter will be called – drum roll please – Falling pt 2! Yay, I bet you've been waiting for that! Maybe I'll update early since I didn't update last week… maybe.**


	9. Falling pt 2

**So… the last chapter was kind've short – that's because I procrastinated. Let's hope this chapter is longer.**

**I'm so sorry about not updating for so long… school's started and I have band practice everyday (I'm in marching band) so I haven't had time with that and homework. But I've been writing updates during classes so hopefully I can get back on schedule with the updates (I care about my grades though so I won't always write in school).**

**MAJOR TIME SKIP IN THIS CHAPTER!!! The first paragraph is a sum up of Naruto's feelings.**

**Don't ask why they are attending school in July because I don't know why.**

**DISCLAIMER: The rights to Naruto and all related merchandise belong to their respective owners, and I'm not one of them unfortunately…. +sighs+ If only~**

**X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X~X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X~X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X**

**~Chapter Nine~**

**Falling**

**Part two**

School is always hectic – especially around long breaks. It seems like just yesterday Naruto was entering this school, astounded by its maze like feature and now – three and a half months later – he is about to go on one of the many two week school breaks. He and Sakura have been going steady – her eye never straying – and from Sakura's lovesick behavior it wasn't going to be changing in time soon. Lots of people commented on how they are perfect for each other and now they are the stereotypical 'high school sweethearts'. Sakura thought it was the most amazing thing in the world to have such a title and Naruto – not wanting to burst her bubble – did not tell her that 'high school sweethearts' were never going to be much more. For being in a happy relationship he sure thought pessimistically. It's not like he meant to behave in such away, but being confused about your sexuality and whether you love your girlfriend or not for four months does that to a guy. Sasuke wasn't helping much with the confusion – what with the lovesick gazes he tossed Naruto now and then and the subtle touches. Sasuke had said he wanted to be friends, but Naruto is convinced Sasuke doesn't know what the meaning of friends is. Not too long ago Naruto had come to a conclusion – one that had taken him months to conclude. He – Naruto Uzumaki – likes Uchiha Sasuke, and not like a friend but like a lover as in he'd rather be kissing him instead of Sakura and – eventually – going as far as to give himself completely to the Uchiha, and he hated it. Why did he have to like Sasuke like that? Sure he had a sneaky suspicion Sasuke liked him too, but deep down in his heart he knew that Sasuke didn't like him enough. Didn't like him enough to accept Naruto's confession, to not call Naruto a fag and never talk to him again… So Naruto wouldn't confess – it was the bittersweet solution to his dilemma. Bittersweet because he'd get to stay with Sasuke but with the limitation of friends, and he hated it. He had half the mind to tell Sasuke his feelings – he's a big boy, he can handle rejection and move on with life… but there was something Naruto was more scared of then rejection and that was for Sasuke to accede. He likes Sasuke – he like Sasuke a LOT, you could say he LOVES him – and if the Uchiha were to accept and then leave him several days/months/years later along the road Naruto knew he wouldn't be able to handle it. He'd be devastated. Sakura could leave him now and he'd be okay because he doesn't love her – like her… speaking of Sakura…

"Please, please, plea----se Naruto! Won't you go out with me again this weekend?!" Sakura begged, her hands clasped tightly together as she stared at her blonde boyfriend in hope. Said blonde just took a step back and quickly scanned the halls looking for a way out. He and Sakura had been going out for a month now and despite the fact he prayed every single night she was still as clingy as ever. He had hoped she would revert back to the sweet girl he knew when they were just friends, but it seemed luck wasn't on his side.

"Ah… erm, Sakura-chan… I was actually thinking that maybe we could um… you know…" Naruto stuttered nervously while rubbing the back of his head, still frantically searching for anyone, someone to come to his aid. He wanted to tell Sakura flat out that they had gone out EVERY single weekend and he needed so time to sit back and relax, hang with Kiba or something but… he was scared, he really didn't want to be hurt…

"Oh Naruto! You're so sweet!" Sakura cooed while latching onto her boyfriend's arm who could only blink in confusion. 'What? How am I… sweet?' he wondered as she placed butterfly kisses on his cheek while giggling in delight… Naruto had to admit, the girl was cute.

"You overheard me and Ino talking on how I wanted to go to the fair." Sakura said, answering Naruto's un-asked question. In truth, he hadn't overheard such a thing and even if he had the thought of taking her wouldn't have even crossed his mind…. But then again… Naruto absolutely adored fairs – as girly as that sounds – and hey, it'd probably be more fun to with someone then nobody at all.

"Yeah, that's right... I want to take you to the fair." Naruto said and Sakura giggled happily before showering kissing upon Naruto once more.

"Okay Naruto, I'll see you Saturday! Pick me up at ten, after breakfast?" she questioned and Naruto nodded before extracting his arm from Sakura's vice like grip, but not before she pulled him in for a kiss – a very dominant kiss despite the fact she was the girl in the relationship. Not that Naruto minded really, it just made it that much easier to pretend it was Sasuke that was actually kis- err no… nothing.

"Yeah… see you then." Naruto murmured before Sakura skipped off, eager to find Ino and tell her the good news. The blond sighed before trudging to his locker so he could throw his crap inside and go home for the weekend. He'd relax for today, go to the fair tomorrow, and then relax some more on Sunday – yes~ sounds like a good plan… Uchiha Sasuke; however, has different plans… again.

(I'm a page break ^^)

"Come on Shikamaru – Sakura and her boyfriend are going, you should come too!" Ino begged, trying to persuade her lazy friend to come with her to the fair this Saturday.

"Yeah, we'll… I'm not your boyfriend." The lazy genius mumbled while waving his blonde companion off. Ino huffed.

"I didn't mean it like that you lazy bastard! Chouji already agreed to come so you should too!" she yelled while stomping her foot in a haughty manner. She loved Chouji to death, but it just wasn't right if Shikamaru wasn't there too. They had been the Dynamic Trio every since they were a sparkle in their father's eye – they did EVERYTHING together. She even cloud watches with them regularly even though (to her) it's the most boring thing in the world. Surely, Shikamaru could return the favor for her… not that she'd tell him she thought cloud watching was boring because then he'd tell her to not come. Ino was about to speak again when the Nara cut her off.

"Fine, I'll go – it's too troublesome to argue with you." He drawled and Ino broke into a huge grin before glomping him.

"Oh, thank you – thank you so much Shikamaru! You don't know how much this means to me!" she cried and Shikamaru only murmured troublesome. In truth however, he would have agreed to going even without her begging – Ino may not have been able to see it, but any passer-byers would see the completely fond and love filled gaze Shikamaru had and know that he'd do anything for the girl. Not that he'd tell her his feelings – it was too troublesome, that and he's pretty sure he doesn't fare well with heart break… after all, how could Ino like someone like him?

(I'm a page break ~_~)

Sasuke wasn't sure why, but it seemed everyone he and Naruto knew were going to the fair this Saturday… well, everybody except him; only because he didn't want to – not because a certain blonde dobe hadn't invited him…

Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Tenten, Neji, Hinata, Kiba, Naruto, and that pink haired bitch (as Sasuke dubbed her) were all going to the fair and no one – not even Neji – invited him to tag along! Not that he cared… In truth however, Sasuke HAD to go. Why? Because this fair came to Konoha every year in honor of the Uchiha family – the villages prodigies. (Likewise, there was always a fair in the middle of October to celebrate the vanquishing of the Kyuubi no Kitsune – a nine tailed demon fox that had wreaked havoc on the village hundreds of years ago.) Anyway, as an Uchiha – Sasuke was expected to attend and make some stupid announcement and then wander around the fair for hours so people could take pictures of one of the descendents of some great Uchiha clan that Sasuke didn't give a rat's ass about.

"Stupid Naruto… I'll teach him to not invite his friends' places." Sasuke grumbled, clearly in a bad mood. Not that that's anything new, seeing how he was constantly radiating a killer aura when Naruto wasn't in his presence and ONLY his presence.

One couldn't blame him though – I mean, how would you fair when the guy you want to bone is always hanging with his other friends more than you? Not well, I imagine… Even so, Sasuke didn't just want in Naruto's pants – one could actually say he enjoyed Naruto's company and didn't mind listening to him ramble for hours on end. Now that's a friend… or perhaps something more, Sasuke wasn't going to ponder on it so it really doesn't matter much to him.

(I'm a page break 0.0)

"Troublesome." Shikamaru murmured as he took a seat at one of the many picnic tables placed in the food section of the fair. It was bad enough he had to go to this fair at all, but Ino hadn't said a thing about hanging out with a group of five plus people. He'd expected it to be him, Chouji, Ino, Naruto, and Sakura and now he comes to find out almost everyone of their classmates would also be joining them. Now one might think this was good – the more the merrier but to Shikamaru, this was equivalent to him developing insomnia – it is that horrid. The more people means – for him – more people to force him onto rides and stay awake for longer then ten minutes – a real bummer if you ask him.

"Hey Naruto, let's go on that big ride next!" Kiba exclaimed loudly and Naruto agreed whole-heartedly with a loud 'Woot!' and a pump of the fist. Their dates (Sakura and Hinata) didn't seem too thrilled – Sakura because she'd much rather snog Naruto on the Ferris wheel for the entirety of their trip and Hinata because she prefers rides that just go up and down (like that ship ride she couldn't remember the name of) rather than ones with intricate twists, turns, and loops – the mere thought of being upside down and fifty feet off the ground made here sick.

"A-ano Kiba-kun… I'm going to stay here and get something…to drink…" Hinata mumbled, waving the pleading Kiba off.

"Yeah, I'll stick with Hinata while you two ride!" Sakura called before sighing dejectedly as Naruto eagerly ran off – almost as if he were trying to get away from Sakura herself, but the pinkette knew that couldn't be. Her Naruto loves her… he just seems to like carnival rides more at the moment. Sakura pouted before reluctantly taking a seat next to a half asleep Shikamaru.

"Where's Ino?" Sakura asked curiously and Shikamaru groaned in annoyance before jerking his head in the direction Kiba and Naruto ran off with a mutter of 'She went with them.'

"What!? No way – she left me?! Damn you Ino, I'll get you back!" she exclaimed half jokingly before eyeing Shikamaru curiously.

"How come you're here anyway?" she asked, it's not like she didn't want Shikamaru to be here, she just knew that he wasn't the type to be here and the fact that he was made her curious.

"Ino – force – troublesome." Shikamaru murmured, clearly not happy with Sakura's prying. He wanted to sleep and with Ino away at the moment this might be the only chance he had and he'd be damned if he lost it. Unfortunately – for Shikamaru – Sakura didn't seem to notice his subtle hints off telling her to, quite frankly – fuck off.

"Really? Then come with me to get some cotton candy!" Sakura exclaimed eagerly, she couldn't very well go alone now could she?

"No."

"Oh Shikamaru, please~!"

"No." Shikamaru responded once more and Sakura pouted before standing up and tugging on the lazy boy's arm.

"Lets go!" she exclaimed once more only to be met by another drawled 'no' and his arm being tugged from her grip. Sakura smiled bright.

"Sakura – force – but not too troublesome to fend me off? Why is it you find Ino troublesome but not me? Or maybe you WANTED to come here. Did you want to come here Shika – with Ino I mean?" Sakura ranted and Shikamaru froze. No. This couldn't be happening. Ino's best friend figured him out? Would she tell Ino now? As if sensing his distress Sakura spoke up.

"Don't worry… I won't tell, but Shikamaru… Ino really likes you and I'm sure if you told her your feelings you can rest assured they'd be returned." Sakura murmured quietly so the others around them would not hear, "I can tell you'll make her really happy… so please Shikamaru… tell her how you feel – if not now then eventually." And with those final words Sakura left to get her cotton candy leaving Shikamaru – the supposed genius – confused.

(I'm a page break .)

"Get off me." Sasuke replied calmly as he tried to navigate through the swarming crowds at the festival. He'd been searching for his dobe for an hour now with no such luck. It was bad enough that the walkways were always crowded, but now he had to deal with a pack of Uchiha fans. They were swarming him like flies – not that he smells bad and flies swarm him – and he was on the verge of murdering someone if he didn't find Naruto soon or someone bombed the pack of fans mauling him.

"That was fun – let's go on it again!" Naruto exclaimed loudly and Sasuke mentally cheered that the blonde was so loud-mouthed. Intent on catching Naruto before he lost sight of him Sasuke began shoving to make through the – his – crowd only to elbow the object of his affections himself.

"Oww!" Naruto exclaimed while looking up at his attacker, his arm clutching his side.

"Sasuke-teme?" he questioned – shocked that the Uchiha was in such a place – before remembering what Sasuke had done.

"What'd you hit me for!?" he asked angrily.

"I didn't hit you dobe, I was trying to get away from this cro- Get off of me – crowd and it seems I accidentally shoved you." Sasuke explained while once again shoving someone away from him. Naruto blinked in confusion, having just noticed the huge crowd before cringing in fear.

"So… why are you here?" Naruto asked curiously and Sasuke gaped at the blonde in shock for a moment before speaking up.

"Usuratonkachi, this is the Uchiha festival and since I'm an Uchiha I have to be here." Sasuke and explained and Naruto only blinked in confusion, 'Oh.' He thought. He didn't know this was the Uchiha festival, but now that he thought about. There were a whole bunch of fans everywhere – the Uchiha clan's symbol.

"… oh, that makes sense… ne Sasuke… would you like to… maybe go err hang out with me?" Naruto asked hesitantly and Sasuke's eyes widened.

"What about your friends?" he asked and Naruto only shook his head before smiling.

"I'm sure they won't mind… so – let's go!" and with those words Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and dragged him along to each and every ride that met his fancy.

(I'm a page break )

Nervous - highly excitable; unnaturally or acutely uneasy or apprehensive, or suffering from, characterized by, or originating in disordered nerves - and everything Shikamaru was at the moment. Why you ask? Simple – he was about to ask his best friend to be his girlfriend. He'd had a crush on Ino for years now, though he had yet to tell her because she went after the pretty boys like Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji. In fact – on more than one occasion – Ino had told him to be more like Sasuke. Now, he was going to throw all his beliefs out the door based on what Ino's best girl friend had to say. Crazy, but – hopefully – worth it.

"Shikamaru – you better not be aslee-oh!" Ino exclaimed when she spotted her last friend. She had expected to see him lying down, but instead she found him leaning against a wall, his hands stuffed in his pockets. She warily approached him, "Is something wrong?" Shikamaru shook his head 'no'. Still cautious she leaned on the wall right next to him.

"So… maybe we sho-" Ino started, only to be cut off by Shikamaru.

"Listen Ino… there's something I need to tell you." Ino drew in a quick intake of breath. Was Shikamaru confessing? She bit her lip, she'd been waiting for this ever since the third grade. On several occasions she had made comments about others guys in hopes of making the Nara jealous. Needless to say, her attempts had failed.

"Yeah? What is it you need to say?" Ino questioned, her throat dry.

"Ino, I li- … I, you-" he stuttered and Ino turned to him – smiling brightly – and encased him in her arms.

"I like you too Shikamaru!" she exclaimed, but Shikamaru only pushed her away gently.

"I-I… don't…" he didn't, couldn't under stand why she would like someone like him, he would only watch as Ino pulled away, her eyes wide in shock – hurt – rejection.

"Bu-but you-" she tried to say as Shikamaru shook his head solemnly. What was he doing? He liked her, so why – why was he doing this?

'Because I'm not good enough.' He thought sadly, 'She deserves so much better.'

"I don't like you." 'I love you.'

"And I don't want to take you on dates." 'I want to show you the world.'

"I'm sorry." 'Please forgive me.'

Ino drew in a shaky breath, her lips trembling before raising her arm and slapping Shikamaru across the face. They stood there silently, laughter and music – joy – surrounding them. Ino glared before swiftly turning and walking away, tears streaming down her face. Shikmaru watched for a moment - his eyes downcast - before picking himself up off the wall, "Goodbye Ino…"

(I'm a page break -_-)

"Have you seen Naruto?" Sakura questioned and Hinata shook her head.

"No, but … Kiba's no where to be seen either so ma-maybe they're to-together." She informed and Sakura smiled, the Hyuuga's words were assuring her.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Sakura breathed. She glanced around before turning to Hinata again.

"I'm going to play some games. Do you want to come?"

"O-oh no, I-I… no, no."

Sakura smiled at the girl, "Okay… will you be okay by yourself?" she asked and the Hyuuga nodded. Hesitantly Sakura left – worried for the girl's well being, and she was right to worry because just moments after she disappeared from sight a stranger took a seat beside Hinata. The man was talking on his phone, cursing about something that happened during the festival. After shutting his phone, the man turned to look at her and smiled. Hinata hesitantly smiled back.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing all alone?" he asked. Eyeing the man warily Hinata subtly moved away before answering. There was something suspicious about the man; she could tell he was not to be trusted.

"My friends are right over there." She informed, pointing at a group of random kids. The man glared at the kids before smiling at Hinata once more.

"Well, how 'bout you and I get some cotton candy?" he tried again, but Hinata shook her head.

"No, I'll think I'll go with my friends now." She said while standing up and starting to walk away, but the man caught her arm.

"How about we get something to drink, or a rum cake?" he asked, his grip tightening when she tried to free herself.

"No thank you, now if you'll excuse me." She said, shocked at her new found courage – she hadn't stuttered once. The man squeezed her arm painfully and she cried out, but no one could hear her over the festivities. The man yanked her towards him so her calls were muffled in his chest, "Come on sweetie, I'll show you a good time." The man whispered, his hands sneaking towards one of her breast.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kiba exclaimed. He had been searching for their group for fifteen minutes only to find Hinata being sexually assaulted. The man looked at Kiba and chuckled, "What's it look like?" The mans cocky attitude was beginning to piss the Inuzuka off.

"I'll kill you."

"Yeah? You and what army?"

Kiba only laughed before placing his fingers in his mouth and whistling loudly. The man stared at him oddly before he was tackled by a giant white dog which seemed to have appeared from thin air. The man released Hinata before toppling to the ground where the dog pinned him.

"Are you alright?" Kiba asked while running over to the shaken girl.

"H-hai… thank you Ki-Kiba-kun."

Kiba nodded before walking over to the man, "Don't ever go near her again." He stated and the man nodded frantically for the dog was starting to crush his ribs. Kiba whistled again, "Come on Akamaru – leave the man alone and go home." The dog Akamaru 'woof'ed loudly before licking Kiba's hand and running off into the distance. Kiba chuckled a bit before turning to Hinata once more, "Come on, let's try goldfish scooping!" Hinata smiled before taking Kiba's hand and allowing herself to be led away – the pair blushed the entire time.'

(I'm a page break. XP)

"Where do we go from here?" Naruto asked, shrouded in darkness.

"I don't even know where you are!" Sasuke exclaimed before moving about, his arms searching for his blonde companion. When hands prodded his back Naruto screamed – an octave higher than any man should go – and Sasuke cringed, "Relax dobe, it's just me." Sasuke soothed – not that it was very soothing, what with the annoyance laced in his voice.

"Sa-Sasuke, don't scare me like that!" Naruto whined, his hand finding Sasuke's so they could explore the fair's fun house together. The fun house however, was far from fun. There were no lights, thus incasing them in darkness. Mirrors were on every wall and ceiling and some rooms had floor traps. The particular room they were in now had spinning wheels on the ground – some rotating quickly, some slow. Not that they knew of the floor traps… yet.

"Wait." Sasuke said and Naruto froze mid-step, "What's that sound?" They were silent for a moment, but they heard nothing but their breathing.

Naruto took a step forward, "Sasuke I don't hea-" he started only to be cut off as his movement triggered the floor mechanism and he stepped on a rapidly spinning wheel. He crashed to the floor with an 'oof'.

"Naruto! Are you okay?" Sasuke questioned while stepping towards the prone blonde only to fall for the same trap.

"Oww!" Naruto exclaimed when Sasuke tumbled atop him.

"Dobe, I think I figured this room out." Sasuke blurted suddenly.

"Oh yeah? Does it involve you getting off me?" Naruto asked, clearly annoyed that Sasuke was squishing his ribs.

"Not yet… just listen."

Nothing.

"I don't hear anything." Naruto complained.

"Exactly. Now listen." Sasuke said while knocking the floor with his hands repeatedly. A whirring sound filled the room.

"The traps are triggered by movement!" Naruto exclaimed and Sasuke nodded, finally clambering off Naruto.

"We just got to walk slowly and lightly." Sasuke informed before taking Naruto's hand, "Let's go."

(I'm a page break o.0)

"Damn it Naruto, where are you?" Sakura asked aloud while sitting down in the eating area. She had been searching for the boy for almost an hour now and he was nowhere to be found. She had returned to where she left Hinata only for the girl to be gone as well; Ino and Shikamaru had yet to return as well. Now, she was alone with no one.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing all alone?" a voice asked besides Sakura's ear. She screamed before proceeding to punch him on the head, and she punched hard.

"That's what you get you creep!" she yelled, poising her leg to kick the fallen guy in the side.

"Wa-wait Sakura-chan! It's me!" the boy yelled and Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

"L-Lee?" she exclaimed before helping him up, "What are you doing asking questions like that?" Lee rubbed the back of his head before smiling sheepishly.

"I saw a man ask a lady that question and then he and another guy engaged in a youthful battle!" Sakura stared at him blanking him before hitting him over the head.

"You idiot – that guy was probably a creeper!" she scolded before suddenly remembering something, "I shouldn't be talking to you." She stated stonily. Lee was a great guy, but she cheated on Naruto with him, and if she wanted her boyfriend to believe she was faithful then she'd have to stay far, far away from Lee.

"How un-youthful that he won't let yo-"

"Don't talk about Naruto that way!" she cut in frantically, "He's a great guy and he lets me make my own choices!"

Lee smiled, "Then we can be friends! It'll kill me, but as long your happy Sakura-chan!" the eccentric male concluded. Sakura was silent.

"Fine, since I don't know where Naruto is… but only as friends!"

"Hai Sakura-chan, only friends!"

(I'm a page break ^_-)

There's something beautiful in the breaking of a heart. All that built up warmth just dies out, like a star burning away. The first break is always the hardest because one is not accustomed to all the shattered pieces – they can't fathom trying to put it all together again.

_Shards of me too sharp to put back together, too small to matter, but big enough to cut me into so many little pieces…_

Music floated through the empty park and Ino looked around, she hadn't realized the gazebo in the middle of the park was occupied. She could faintly see the silhouette leaning against the railing, staring up at the sky. She looked up as well, wondering what was so interesting. The stars were all bright, and it made her think about something she learned – that most of those lively, bright, beautiful, shining stars… were already dead.

"Heartbreaking isn't it?" a voice asked from behind Ino and she jumped. It was the silhouette man.

"Don't cry." He soothed. Ino stared up at him, words caught in her throat. The man was beautiful, yet vaguely familiar. Was this her night in shining armor?

"You look ugly when you cry."

(I'm a page break :I)

"Moe~ Kiba-kun, you'll never catch any goldfish that way." Hinata scolded. They were currently at the goldfish scooping booth and while Hinata's bowl was full with a large assortment of fish, she'd only used one paper scoop. Kiba on the other hand, had no fish and he was on his twelfth scoop.

He pouted, "I'm trying my best Hinata-chan." He vouched, but the girl only giggled lightly.

"Here, let me show you." She said while grabbing Kiba's hand, "Poise the net and when he gets close then snatch him up. You have to be swift or else the paper will rip." She informed, guiding his hand then together they scooped up a plump goldfish and dropped it in Kiba's bowl.

"Try on your own now." She suggested and the Inuzuka complied. He was still for at least five minutes when suddenly he jerked his arm up and yelled, "I caught one!" Hinata clapped – it was a pretty big fish, very impressive for his first catch… that is, until she noticed something.

"Anou… Kiba-kun." She started before pointing at the fish, "That fish is fake… a kid must've dropped it in here by accident. Kiba's smile faltered – that would explain why it hadn't moved, "N-no it's not." But all Hinata could do was shake her head 'yes' solemnly.

(I'm a page break XD)

As they stepped into the fun house's final room, the two boys couldn't be happier. They had been in this place for what seemed like days – only one more puzzle and they'd be free.

"Sasuke – we made it!" Naruto exclaimed while glomping said teen. The Uchiha chuckled, "Don't get excited yet dobe." Naruto pouted, Sasuke was such a downer. They spent the next few minutes examining the room, their eyes having by now adjusted to the darkness.

"I don't see anything wrong." Naruto mumbled, his hand finding Sasuke's. So far, all the rooms had been perilous and the normalcy of this room frightened him.

"Don't be a scardy cat dobe." Sasuke said before leading the way. Halfway through the room Naruto stopped. He wasn't sure why, but the room was making him dizzy and ligh-headed. There was something he needed to see, to know… something.

"Sasuke!" Naruto suddenly called and the Uchiha – by now several feet away – turned to look at him. Sasuke stared at him for a moment, what was wrong with the dobe – before sighing and walking towards him.

"Must you choose now to be an idiot, I want to get out of here." Sasuke complained as he halted in front of the blonde. It was getting late, and as much as he loved being alone with Naruto, he was getting tired from walking and this fun house had no air conditioning and with it being the middle of July it was getting uncomfortably hot.

"… I'm sorry…" What? Sasuke looked confused, why was Naruto saying he was sorry? … Could it be… was the blonde sorry for kissing him and then acting like it meant nothing – acting like he didn't feel those sparks too? Or did he know what Sasuke had been thinking about the past few months and was telling him he didn't feel the same way and things wouldn't work out between them… he hadn't even given them a chance. Sasuke shook his head, it didn't matter if Naruto didn't want to be with him, what the Uchiha felt for the blonde was purely sexual attraction… right?

"I'm sorry for stopping… we should go." Naruto mumbled and Sasuke felt like an idiot. Of course Naruto wasn't thinking about their relationship… not that they had a relationship, they had a friendship – with stress on the friend. Yes, they were purely friends, nothing else.

Naruto cursed to himself, that's now what he meant to say – he wasn't sorry about that. He just knew he had to tell Sasuke something – anything! … Everything. His lip trembled, he wanted to explain himself to the Uchiha, to tell him his problems with Sakura and with him.

"I've been thinking…" naruto started. He felt like an idiot – about to pour his heart out for no reason whatsoever. He was sure he was confusing Sasuke. After all, what person in his right mind gets the urge to talk about his feelings whilst walking through an empty room? Naruto apparently.

"About the day I went on my first date with Sakura-chan." Sakura? Sasuke growled, why the hell would the dobe bring her up? This was about them wasn't it? Not Naruto and Sakura! Why would someone think about their first date with their girlfriend unless they loved her and they were daydreaming about the moment!? Sasuke hated the girl. She was horrible to Naruto when the couple first started dating, and then she was all clingy and claiming Naruto was the love of her life. The girl was crazy! No girl does that unless she's screwed in the head. Naruto deserved better, but he was too much of an idiot to notice. He deserved someone that could take care of him, someone that would put him first, and someone that could pleasure him and love him… Naruto deserved someone - someone like Sasuke! That's right, Sasuke was perfect for Naruto – he wanted Naruto and the blonde wanted him. Besides, Naruto was on the weak side and there was no way Sakura – a girl – would be able to protect him… then again, he'd seen the girl hit Naruto and man did she pack a punch. No matter, Naruto needed someone that wouldn't give him brain damage.

"Well… on that date she – she kissed me." Naruto continued, ignoring the evil aura radiating from the Uchiha. Who kissed on the first date? That's against the rules – the pink bimbo's a whore! It's not like Naruto kissed her – she kissed him! That's why the blonde needs a boyfriend, not a girlfriend – Naruto was obviously the submissive in a relationship. Sasuke looked up when Naruto sighed heavily.

"B-but I didn't like it. Who doesn't like it when their girlfriend kisses them?" Naruto yelled, his voice echoing through the large room. There, he confessed what's been bothering him; well, part of it. But it'd be fine right? No. The room knew. Naruto wasn't sure how, but he felt he had to tell Sasuke THAT otherwise he'd go… crazy or something.

"… Someone who doesn't like their girlfriend." Was Sasuke's smart reply and Naruto smiled sadly.

"I knew that." He couldn't remember. Who was supposed to confess? The boy or the girl… but, they're both boys.

'In this situation,' Naruto thought, 'I must be the girl.' Meaning… what? Who knew – not Naruto. It didn't matter who was who, Naruto was the one that liked Sasuke… there was no way Sasuke could like him… not like this. He had to tell Sasuke how he felt because… some secrets are best unveiled. Who knows, maybe Sasuke felt the same way… maybe.

"I… Sasuke when you kissed me – on Sakura's date – I… compared to the kissed Sakura gave me…" the blonde was shaking now. Would he lose their friendship if Sasuke knew he liked him? God he hoped not. Naruto drew in a shaky breath, he could do this, he could do this – oh, he couldn't do this. Whilst Naruto suffered through his inner turmoil, Sasuke stood frozen in place. Why would the dobe bring that kiss up? Why would he compare it to the kisses – Sasuke hadn't missed the plural – he had with Sakura? Naruto was a nice guy so surely the blonde wasn't going to insult him (even though he calls Sasuke teme all the time)… that could only mean – Sasuke grinned inwardly as he leaned towards Naruto – they hadn't realized they were standing so close together - and pressed their lips together. It was bliss. He'd only kissed the dobe once before, but he missed the feel of the lips he somehow knew so well. He pressed harder to get the immobile blonde back to his senses; how could he enjoy it if Naruto didn't participate? Hesitantly, the blonde's hand found Sasuke's shoulder and he kissed back. He briefly wondered why they hadn't done this again sooner… in the back of his mind something important was nagging at him. He was forgetting something, the reason as to why he wasn't always kissing Sasuke… something.

(I'm a page break +smile+)

"Here you go Sakura-chan." Lee exclaimed while handing the girl yet another prize that he one for her. She took the item with a smile – this was exactly what she wanted Naruto to do for her… if only he were here. It didn't matter; she'd just have to make the blonde jealous…as soon as she found him. She wouldn't lie, she really wasn't thinking about him much. Lee was just so… captivating – as a friend. She loved Naruto with all her heart, he was the only guy that wasn't trying to get into her pants – err, skirt – the only guy that kept the relationship innocent. Times like these made her wish she were a child again, wish everything was simple once more. But it wasn't… and she'd have to accept that.

"Thank you Lee." She said, cradling the stuffed item close. Ah Lee, he was such a gentleman. He sounded so strong compared to Naruto's boyish nature. With Naruto, she felt like she was the one doing the protecting, but with Lee… Sakura shook her head,

'No, I shouldn't be comparing them. I shouldn't be thinking such things.'

But she couldn't help it. How could someone not compare Lee to everyone – she froze as realization dawned on her – and how could Lee not win?

'I'm a horrible girlfriend.' She thought. What was wrong with her - falling in love with someone else so quickly? But did she ever truly love Naruto? She didn't know, but what she did know now was that… she loved Lee too. She'd have to find Naruto and talk to him. She had to get away from Lee… she had to put others feelings first, and put hers aside. And that's what she'd do… as soon as she found Naruto.

(I'm a page break – fear meh-)

Ino examined her hand gingerly, it hurt from punching silhouette man. Did that boy have a hard face or what… Bah, what was she thinking – there was no way he was her knight in shining armor.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she exclaimed, kicking a rock as she went. She was hurt and angry, and these two emotions weren't a very good combination for her. She didn't know what to do either – Shikamaru was the smart one, but now she didn't have him to help solve her problems. Now she had no one. It hurt, why hadn't anyone told her heartbreak hurt so much.

"I'm an idiot." She mumbled to herself. Of course Shikamaru hadn't been confessing to her, she felt stupid for even thinking it.

(I'm a page break $.$)

He'd seen many things in his lifetime, but never something so beautiful. It wasn't the acct of, but one of the participants. After being violently pummeled by some blonde girl he decided to retreat to the fun house. Apparently it was incredibly tough to navigate through its ten rooms, but in a matter of minutes he found himself in the final room, but not alone. In the middle of the room he could see a couple. One pinned against the wall as the other ravished hi m thoroughly. He could see sweat glistening on them and he could hear the smaller one's breathless moans as the other one kissed along the blonde's neck and roamed his hands anywhere and everywhere. He didn't like it – that the blonde was so willing to be touched, but what he hated was that the blonde was so willing to be touched by someone other than himself. The blonde was his angel, not the other raven. He'd only known the boy for a mere moment, but he felt something – a connection perhaps. He'd only felt this way for someone once before… it confused him. Still, he couldn't help but become slightly obsessed the longer he stared.

'I don't even know him and I'm already in love with him,' he thought as he tore his eyes away.

He felt sick.

'How pathetic,' he thought as he remembered something **he** told him once, 'Falling is a paradox... you finally get away from everything, you feel the wind in your hair, you experience it and love it, and then… you hit rock bottom. Sometimes the falls not too far, and you can land safely on your feet. Others, you fall forever and when you crash down you don't make it. I'm falling… and I'm scared. Scared because I know the ground's so near.'

'…I'm scared too nii-san.'

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**So… I don't know, but had my writing gotten weirder and weirder? It seems like it, but it could be just me. Meh, who knows? Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed I appreciated them much. **

**+Sigh+ For some reason, this chapter was incredibly hard to write. I kept stopping every few paragraphs or so and taking several days off from writing this. I just couldn't write it for some reason… probably because I'm lacking inspiration. I'm sure you've heard this before but… I work better when I get lots of heart-warming reviews.**

**+Le gasp+ A new character? But how – why?! Don't worry, he plays a huge role in future chapters… yes, you'll see.**

**…No, Naruto is not mentally unstable. I just needed a reason for him to confess. After all, he's not about to say "Hey Sasuke – remember that day we kissed? Yeah, well I liked it… a lot. And I'm always thinking about you so won't you tell me you love me and then fuck me?" yeah, no… **

**Is it just me, or do none of my characters understand the meaning of love?**

**Anyway – don't kill me – I finish this chapter like two months go, but I never posted it cause I don't really like it. But, I got a review from **KatrinaEagle** and it inspired me to copy this from my notebook and onto the computer and post it. So, thank her. See, reviews do so much. **


	10. Break

**Disclaimer: Not mine… T. T I lost my page of awesome disclaimers.**

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~Chapter Ten~

Break

Sai traced the outline of Naruto's hair, each stroke even and sure. This one was almost complete, it only needed one more thing and that was the blonde's whisker like scars.

'Beautiful.' He thought as he examined the finished artwork. In this picture, the boy had his hands out; catching intricate snowflakes. Sai could picture it perfectly – his obsession spinning 'round an 'round with his arms propelling him, and snow falling gracefully around him. Then, he'd collapse in the snow and Sai would go to him and hold him in his arms and love him; caress him. Their lips would find one another's and Sai would press their clothed erections together as Naruto tore his lips away so he could release a throaty moan.

Sai froze mid-fantasy… Amazing, Naruto had such a strong affect on him that Sai would actually fantasize about the boy. He glanced down at his notebook, only to find an erotic image of him and Naruto… he must have subconsciously drawn it. Then he wondered, as he stared at previously drawn images… when he stopped drawing big brother.

_Sai was drawing a bird, a beautiful black bird he saw in the garden. The bird had been dead, but in his picture it was alive and well. The drawing was mesmerizing, so Sai decided to show it to Big Brother._

_ "It's wonderful Sai." His brother praised, making Sai blush. His bother was so loving and caring – always so nice. Big Brother was his life ever since he lost Mama and Papa. With Big Brother though, he never thought about them, was never alone, and never missed them… _

_ Today Brother told him he got to be a big boy; he mumbled that he just wanted to see something. Brother sat on his bed and opened his arms so he could embrace Sai in his arms. Big hands roamed down the frail body as Brother pressed his lips to Sai's neck gently. _

_ "What are you doing?" the child questioned, confused as to what his brother was doing. Brother paused his ministrations and held Sai at arms length so he could stare him in the eye. _

_ "I want to try something." He stated seriously, his eyes urging Sai to stop asking questions and go along with it. Hesitantly, Sai burrowed into his brother's arms and the older boy smiled as he caressed his 'lover'. _

_ Through the whole act, Sai was silent minus the occasional gasp and moan. He watched with loving eyes as his brother took him. He felt brother's tender hands and gently touch. He could hear Brother's moans and the sound of skin slapping skin. He could taste brother's sweat and tears… why was Big Brother crying? He'd done what he was supposed to hadn't he? He didn't ask any questions, he'd been good. So why? It didn't feel so nice anymore now that he knew Big Brother was crying and he briefly wondered if he did something wrong. Surely Big Brother would have corrected him if he did something wrong. Sai shook his head, he wouldn't think about it. _

_His hands traced patterns along his brother's back as the older child pressed their lips together passionately. His brother's previously evenly timed thrusts soon became ragged and Sai found himself involuntarily crying out in pleasure. In perfect unison, the two brothers called out as their reached their climax. _

_His brother's face had been beautiful – Sai was left in awe. His brother lay atop him for a few moments, trying to catch his breath, as Sai stared at him lovingly. Big Brother looked at him, staring into his eyes for a moment before clambering off the boy. What could he say… he'd done something wrong and Sai didn't even know. Big Brother felt sick to his stomach as he stared at Sai's naked figure – he'd sinned. _

_They were silent for a moment before Sai spoke up. Big Brother could feel a knot of guilt and disgust build up in his stomach and bile form in his throat as Sai spoke up._

"_I love you." _

_Big Brother's eyes widened before he fled from the room, intent on heaving the contents of his stomach into the toilet._

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It had been three days since the Uchiha Festival, but the students of Konoha High were still on break. Many hectic things occurred during the festival – things the students didn't want to admit. Something was nagging them in the back of their minds – sins needed to be forgiven, but no one wanted to admit they were in the wrong… Uzumaki Naruto is one of these people.

He did something he was not particularly proud of – he cheated on his girlfriend. Yes he felt bad, but he didn't regret what he'd done. Even so, he knew he had to fix the problem raging within him. Problem is though; he didn't know how to fix it. He knew what he should do, but he couldn't find it in himself to go through with it. The right choice wasn't what he wanted. Naruto was never one good with decisions, especially hard decisions. Hell, he even had trouble deciding which flavor of ramen he should eat! This situation was – as Shikamaru would say – troublesome. He wanted to pace around his room and yell 'what to do' over and over again, but he knew what to do – he just didn't want to do it.

He groaned loudly before snatching up his cell phone and throwing himself onto his bed. He scrolled through his contacts, going straight to the S section. The scrollbar flashed from Sakura to Sasuke to Sakura to Sasuke as he thought of who it was he needed to call to make things right. Naruto sighed dejectedly, the scrollbar flicking between the two names before he hit the call button and placed the phone to his ear.

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Ring, ring. The cell phone rattled on the coffee table and Sasuke looked up from the book he was reading, briefly wondering who was calling him as he set his book aside. He picked up the phone and flipped it open, not bothering to check who was calling.

"Hello?"

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Sakura stood outside Lee's house, her legs shaking and her hands twisting her hair nervously. She was intent on telling the boy they couldn't be friends either… it just wouldn't work. It wasn't healthy to love two people… since she loved Naruto first he obviously won and she'd have to ditch Lee… no matter how hard it was.

After she started taking hers and Naruto's relationship seriously, she deleted Lee's number - now she was regretting that decision because she'd have to – for lack of any better word – 'break up' with Lee in person.

She took a deep breath before sighing heavily. She could do this. Just as she brought her hand to the door however, her cell rang and she thanked the gods as she dug her phone from her purse.

"Hello?"

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"Ah… hey." Naruto mumbled nervously as the person on the other line answered. He was making the right decision – he was positive.

"Yeah mm… Sa-… Can I come over?" he questioned, he couldn't do this over the phone – he'd have to do it face to face.

"… Y-you're not home? … Oh, no that's alright. Um… Another time then… A-a date?! … Well yes, I know were dating but… How about a lunch date then? Okay, I-I… I'm fond of you too Sakura."

Naruto sighed heavily. The conversation went nothing like he wanted it to. Hopefully he would be able to talk to the pinkette in private. He supposed it would be easier that way.

"Stupid Sasuke." Naruto grumbled as he tugged his hair, "Teme ruined my first real relationship with all his confusing Uchiha-ness."

Well, now that calling Sakura was done… what was he supposed to do now?

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Sleep. It usually came to him easily. When he was younger, the doctors thought he was narcoleptic – that's how easy sleep came to him. But, not recently. Not since he purposely tore out Ino's heart and stepped on it. If it wasn't too troublesome, he'd probably be crying his eyes out right now.

He tossed and turned on his bed. Though the room was dark, he knew it was almost mid-day. He assumed it was ten-thirty-ish. A glance at his clock told him he was correct. Normally, he'd sleep in to around two in the afternoon, but today he had a prior engagement to attend to… ah, he missed those days.

All this time he'd been worried about Ino; worrying that maybe he should have told Ino the truth. The truth that he did love her and wanted to be with her forever, and… the truth that he was moving.

He hadn't told anyone but Chouji, but he was transferring to a school in America today so he could study abroad.

After Sakura spoke to him, he was intent on telling Ino the truth. But there, on the spot… he didn't want to break her heart. He knew such a long distance relationship wouldn't work, he knew Ino wouldn't wait forever. His decision was right, he made the right choice… for her.

'I'm so self-less.' He thought, the only positive thought he'd had as of recent.

With a heavy sigh he clambered out of bed. It was about time he left for his plane. No need to prolong the inevitable. He said goodbye to Ino and he was ready to leave Konoha behind.

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Sakura stared at her cell phone for the longest time. She was surprised Lee's parents or neighbors hadn't called the police. She knew she would have if some stranger stood on her doorstep motionless for almost an hour. She sighed before swiftly turning on her heel. She wouldn't talk to Lee, not yet. At the moment, she had more important matters to attend to – like her date with Naruto. She had this feeling, this horrible feeling buried in her chest. She felt that something was going to end in tragedy. He phone still read 'call ended', but she felt that something else would be ending today as well.

She would be meeting Naruto at one of her favorite restaurants near the largest part of town – Uchiha Prefecture. She straightened her hair and wore one of her nicest dresses and jewelry sets. She felt that she needed to look nice and for a sense of privacy turned her phone off. She was ready for this date. In a sense, she knew why Naruto called her and she knew what they would talk about. Today she felt happy and she looked her best despite the fact she knew she was set or failure.

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Ino stared at the bowl of soup in front of her solemnly. She wasn't vain, but the soup was left untouched because she was too busy staring at her reflection. But no matter how long or how hard she stared, she couldn't find anything wrong.

'Maybe it's not my looks,' she thought, 'maybe I'm too stupid; too blonde.'

It made sense; Shikamaru had the highest IQ in school and possibly even the country. Of course he wouldn't want her. Shikamaru deserved someone smart and someone that could understand him.

'I'm such an idiot.' She thought – it seemed she was thinking that a lot recently, 'Stupid, stupid, stupid.'

"Ne, Chouji?" Ino mumbled aloud and the big boy – who had been chewing on his nails nervously up to this point – jumped away from the counter he was previously leaning on to look at the girl.

"Ye-yes? Is something wrong with the soup? I noticed you haven't touched it! I knew I should've used less salt. I can make you more. Well, a new batch; a better batch. Not more of the bad soup!" he rambled and Ino almost smiled. Almost. She shook her head, 'no'.

"That's not it. I'm sure the soup is wonderful but… Chouji, you and Shikamaru are best friends. Did he… – have you guys ever talked about me?"

"We'd never talk behind your back." He informed eyes wide. Ino only shook her head again.

"I know that, but well… did he ever show any interest in any of the girls at school?"

Chouji hesitated before answering, "… Only one, but she liked someone else. Shikamaru thought she'd never show any interest but… recently…"

Ino's frown deepened, Shikamaru liked somebody already and now the girl was showing interest. She'd lost her chance.

"Wh-what's she like? Do I know her?" she questioned, but Chouji didn't answer, "Chouji, please tell me what she's like."

"Uhm… she's well you know… really pretty. Smart too… not quite as smart as Shika, but I mean… she's got a B average which is well, you know… good I guess. Uh… yeah."

"D-do I know her?" she asked and Chouji nodded.

"You know her really well actually – more than anyone else."

Ino's brow creased. Someone she knew really well? There's only one person she knew thoroughly, and that was Sakura but… the pinkette had straight A's. So who then?

"Listen Ino," Chouji started, "I don't know why you're asking all these questions, but if your this concerned then maybe you should talk to Shika yourself before it's too late."

Ino looked up and shook her head frantically, "I-I can't face him… not after… not after that."

Chouji frowned, "After what? Did something happen at the festival Saturday night?"

Tears formed in the Yamanaka's eyes, "I – Chouji… Oh Chouji! I thought he was confessing to me Saturday night but he wasn't! A-and he said he didn't feel that way about me and I-I…"

Chouji could only watch as the girl burst into tears. He felt bad for her, but he'd promised Shikamaru not to tell anyone, especially Ino but… the girl looked so sad, so heartbroken.

"I-Ino… I'm going to tell you something, alright? You've got to stop crying okay?" he questioned, waiting for her to stop and wipe the tears from her face and nod.

"You remember when Asuma-sensei offered Shika that all expense paid trip to America so he could study abroad?" Ino nodded, "And you remember how he turned it down and said it was too troublesome?"

Ino nodded again; not quite understanding where the conversation was going.

"Well, later that day he told me the real reason he turned the scholarship down. He said he wanted to wait for that girl, see if she'd come to her senses and ask him out already."

Ino felt like crying, why was Chouji telling her this – how was this supposed to make her feel better?

"She didn't come to her senses and Shikamaru assumed she'd never like a lazy guy like him. I said she was stupid. And you know why I called her stupid?" Ino shook her head, "Because all this time, she's loved him too but never told him."

'Like me.' Ino thought.

"So, before the break started Shika told Asuma-sensei he wanted to go to America. He told him he wanted to leave as soon as possible."

Ino's eyes widened, 'Shikamaru is… leaving?'

"But you see Ino; this girl is one of my closest friends and no matter how annoying and clueless she is sometimes… I-I don't want her to lose her chance to be happy, and I don't want Shika to lose his chance either. So Ino, his flight leaves in…" Chouji glanced at his watch, "Crap. An hour... His flight leaves from Tokyo. So if you want to catch him in time then you've got to leave now."

"Wh-what? Ino questioned, confused. Chouji groaned heavily and grabbed Ino's arm and led her to the door.

"Ino you idiot; you're the girl he likes so get out of here!"

Ino's eyes widened and she nodded numbly before hugging Chouji, "Oh, thank you." She cried before turning on her heel and running to her car.

Chouji sighed and leaned against the doorway, he hoped everything would go alright. Suddenly though, Ino popped her head in the doorway.

"Oh and Chouji?" she questioned, "Don't call me stupid ever again."

Chouji chuckled before shooing her out the door, "Go, and hurry before you miss him!"

"Right!" she exclaimed before running outside once more, 'Please Shikamaru, wait for me.'

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

Ring. Ring. Sasuke's cell phone rang for the tenth time today. Why hadn't he silenced that crap yet? The thing had been ringing non-stop and every time, the call was from some girl he'd never even met before. He had no idea how they got his number, but he swore if he found the person who gave his number to all those girls then he'd strangle them.

With a frightening roar, he picked up the advanced device and flung it at the nearest wall where it proceeded to shatter into a million pieces; thus silencing ringing… not really. In actuality, he picked up the phone before gingerly pressing the 'silence' button and then gingerly placing it on the coffee table. It wouldn't do him any good to break the thing. After all, what would he do if Naruto called and then he wasn't able to get a hold of him because out of a fit of rage Sasuke broke his cell? Now, there were no guarantees that Naruto would actually call, but the Uchiha could hope. Yes, it had been three days since that incident and he felt a little silly that he gave Naruto his number and expected him to actually call. Of course the blonde wouldn't call back; not after they did such intimate things so unexpectedly. Really, he shocked himself with the stunt he pulled over the weekend… which is why he hadn't shut his phone off because Naruto might call. But Sasuke knew that was just wishful thinking. Knowing Naruto, the blonde would probably avoid him for a month and busy himself with insignificant things like… the pinkette from hell. Sasuke growled, Naruto was probably with her right now and the thought made him irrationally angry.

His phone rattled on the coffee table loudly.

"Damn it!" Sasuke cursed, "I thought I put you on silent not vibrate!"

With an angry growl he shut off his phone and shoved it in his pocket. Intent on leaving the house, he picked up his sweater and walked to the front door.

It didn't matter if Naruto decided to call him anyway, because he'd be out. Still, his fingers itched in his pocket and he couldn't help but switch the device on after several minutes. He'd be able to endure the endless vibrations for a bit. Hopefully though, Naruto would call soon.

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

Sai felt incredibly pleased with himself. He looked like the cat that just ate the canary.

After thinking such depressive thoughts about his brother, he felt he needed to do something to block such negative thoughts. In the end, the answer to his solution had been to get on his computer and so some hacking. For awhile he hadn't been sure who or what to harass and on accident he stumbled on his new school's website - which he would start at after the break - and decided he'd hack into their system and see what his new classmates would be like.

The first person he looked up was his blonde angel, also known as Uzumaki Naruto. He made sure to write down the blonde's phone number and address – not that he needed to because as soon as he read it he memorized it – and then he proceeded to see who the raven was that his Naruto spent his time with.

The guys name was Uchiha Sasuke and – according to his records – was down right perfect. It made him jealous and angry so he decided to get revenge. He decided he'd post some personal information about the Uchiha on the web. He wouldn't go so far as to post the Uchiha's address, but his number… well, Sai had no qualms about that.

And just like he thought it would, it made him immensely happy. Sai – 1, Uchiha – 0.

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

Naruto fidgeted nervously in his seat as he waited for Sakura. He was a bit early, but he figured it would help him calm his nerves. He'd never really dated anyone before, so he hadn't broken up with anyone either. He wasn't sure if Sakura would accept it and they could be friends or if she would slap him and break into tears. Personally he preferred the former, but he'd seen enough chick-flicks to know that wasn't going to happen. Still, a guy could hope couldn't he?

A few minutes passed with Naruto looking up every time the door's bell jingled before finally Sakura entered the shop. The pinkette spotted her blonde immediately, practically zeroing in on him, before making a bee line for their table.

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

I've never felt so nervous in my life. Then again, I've never felt so attached to someone before. Well really, I guess I have; because my love for Naruto is unconditional. He used to always seem so… taken with me and it made me feel appreciated. I felt that there was actually such a thing as innocent love. Deep down however, I knew it wouldn't last. It's not because I thought I'd stop loving him, but because I knew that he never truly loved me. What he felt for me was a childish crush, he liked me… never loved.

Then, when I found at that Sasuke had kissed him… I knew I'd lost the game. And Naruto doesn't know it, but once – when we were kissing – he called me Sasuke. It hurt a lot. I mean, what girl wouldn't complain if her boyfriend called her by the wrong name? Let alone another guy's name.

When I spotted Naruto, he was staring at me with his beautiful blue eyes wide and his tan complexion pale. He reminded me of a deer caught in headlights.

I sat across from him and smiled as I took his hand in mine. I tried not to be upset when he cringed and looked at my hand like it was an alien.

"Do I look nice?" I questioned and he was speechless – his mouth opening and closing like a fish – but I don't think it was because he was awestruck at my beauty. His hands felt clammy in mine.

I was prepared to wait forever before he spoke again, and when he did I gripped his hand tighter.

"Sakura-chan… I don't think… you see, uh…" he stammered. It was cute, and it was something I'd miss.

"Go on." I urged, "I won't be mad, you can tell me anything." It was true. He could tell me the reason we were going to break up was because I was a fat, ugly whore and I still wouldn't be angry with him. My encouraging words however, only seemed to make the situation worse for him.

I figured it'd be easier if I just broke up with him but… I'd probably break into tears as soon as the words left my lips. And that would be unacceptable because I have to be strong for Naruto.

"I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we… you know, b-br…" he whispered quietly before taking a deep breath. I hope he doesn't start to hyperventilate.

"!" he yelled put before clamping his hands over his mouth. He was so pale; I hoped he didn't get sick.

You know, I spent my entire drive here preparing myself for this and I thought I had gotten the job done… But, when he finally said it, and the finality of the situation set in on me… I died a little inside. This… I shouldn't be feeling this. I've never felt this way when my previous boyfriends broke up with me. Then again, I never loved them either.

Everything felt foggy and hazy; it helped dull the ache in my chest. Now, at this moment I felt like my brother just died and strangely, it made me feel twenty times better. I'm not sure why, maybe because I don't have a brother, or maybe… Maybe it's because I never really loved Naruto like a lover. It seems logical. It explains why I felt so attracted to Lee when I was dating Naruto.

Naruto and I… this didn't have to end. We could be friends and siblings in a sense.

I took a deep breath and wiped away a stray tear.

"Okay Naruto." I stated carefully so my voice wouldn't crack. He looked confused so I explained myself.

"I knew you wanted to… break up… But strangely, I'm not as hurt as I should be. Don't get me wrong; when we were dating I ended up loving you, but…"

Naruto nodded and opened his mouth to speak, "But you didn't fall in love with me?"

I nodded and he chanced a smile.

"I feel the same way." He agreed, squeezing my hand, and I felt that things might not end tragically with us.

"Friends?" I asked and he nodded 'yes'. I couldn't help but smile.

We spent a few more minutes talking before deciding to order so we could get to know one another. It was awkward to say the least until we warmed up to each other.

This… this is love in the purest of forms. And I wouldn't mind spending my time like this.

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

"Are you sure you don't need a ride home?" sakura asked Naruto for what seemed like the hundredth time. The blonde only shook his head 'no'.

You see, Naruto had had Iruka give him a ride here, so now he had to wait for Iruka to come pick him up.

"Just go, Iruka will be here any minute."

Sakura hesitated for a moment before giving in and agreeing. They looked at each other for a moment. Should they hug or shake hands? A hand shake seemed a little awkward, but Sakura didn't want to overstep the blonde's boundaries.

Naruto grinned cheekily before stepping forward and hugging Sakura in a quick, almost nonexistent hug. Sakura smiled.

"See you later Naruto." She parted with a wave, leaving Naruto alone.

He shifted from foot to foot… why wasn't Iruka here yet? He dug his cell from his pocket and made sure he didn't accidentally miss a call from Iruka. Sure enough, he did. The message was short and to the point and basically said 'I can't pick you up because I'm currently being molested by a certain silver haired scarecrow'.

Stupid Kakashi.

He really didn't want to bother Sakura about needing a ride after he had told her that he didn't need a ride, but he had no choice in the matter.

When he called Sakura however, it went straight to voicemail. 'Shit' had been his first thought. He waited a couple minutes before calling again, but just like before it immediately went to voice mail.

"Her phone must be off." He mumbled aloud as he checked his surroundings. The Uchiha prefecture was quite a ways from his house, and also the biggest prefecture in Konoha.

He called Iruka's phone in hope that they were done with their 'activities'. The fact that his adoptive father's cell was off and that it went straight to voicemail told Naruto that 'no', they had not.

Now what was he supposed to do? He couldn't walk and even if he could, he wouldn't know where to go. This place was a huge maze, he'd get lost. His instincts told him to stay here, but Naruto practically had ADD and wouldn't be able to stand in front of the diner for too long.

So, he did the stupid thing. He shoved his phone in his pocket and started walking. It didn't occur to him that it was getting dark and there was a chance that if he got lost he could get mugged, or worse – killed. And, the most important fact of them all… It didn't occur to him that a certain Uchiha lived at the Uchiha Compound which was on the outskirts of the Uchiha Prefecture and that the Uchiha had given him his cell phone number.

No matter, even if he had realized it he wouldn't have called Sasuke anyway. It would mess up his whole avoidance plan.

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

Not too long ago, Sasuke got tired of reaching into his pocket every time it vibrated to see if it was Naruto calling. Now, he roamed the streets with the cell in hand so he'd only have to glance at the screen before hitting the 'reject' button. He was just about ready to turn his phone off for good when the cell vibrated and a picture of Naruto flashed on the screen. Sasuke gaped for a moment before answering the phone and getting the surprise of his life.

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed through the phone and said Uchiha flinched, "I'm so lost! I don't know where I am! There's this cow staring at me and he almost ate my shirt and then I tripped and then Kinrui-chan – the cow – moo'd in my ear!" he rambled, and Sasuke almost regretted wanting Naruto to call.

"Dobe – calm down!" he snapped and the mindless rambling stopped, "Now, explain this to me calmly."

"Uh… Iruka-sensei can't pick me up because Kakashi-sensei is boning him and no one is answering their phone and I'm lost so I called you."

Sasuke wasn't sure what to say.

"Okay… can you tell me any of your surroundings?"

"Kinrui-chan, she's a surrounding." Naruto said.

"And Kinrui-chan is…?"

"The cow Sasuke, the cow!" Naruto yelled and Sasuke pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Can you tell me anything else?"

"Uh… there's a sign."

"…"

"…"

"… Christ Naruto, what does the sign say?!"

"… You don't have to yell Sasuke."

"Just-" Sasuke started to yell before taking a deep breath and speaking in a soft monotone, "Just tell me what the sign says."

"It says… uh, Auntie Rem's Cow Central."

Sasuke sighed, he knew that place. It actually wasn't that far from where he was now.

"Alright, don't move. I'll be there in a second." The Uchiha grumbled before turning a corner and darting through an alley. In moments, he was standing in front of Cow Central where he spotted a lone cow roaming the fields and Naruto leaning against the fence as he dug his toe in the dirt.

"Dobe." Sasuke greeted and Naruto snapped his head up and looked up at the raven with wide, sparkling eyes.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called before running and throwing himself at Sasuke, "Thank you, thank you – I was so scared!"

"Alright dobe; let's go to my house for now so you can explain to me why you're lost."

-

"And then I called you, so here we are." Naruto said, finishing up his story. Sasuke nodded.

"You should probably try calling Iruka again; it's been well over thirty minutes." Sasuke mused and Naruto nodded before whipping out his cell and dialing Iruka's number.

"… Iruka! Yeah, I'm okay… Will you pick me up now? …B-but why? … I'm with Sasuke… I think he does, I mean if Sakura's got one then he must too. My key?! … O-oh, of course I do… No, I'm not lying. Okay. I'll see you tomorrow morning? Kay… bye."

Sasuke looked at Naruto curiously , having only heard Naruto's side of the conversation.

"You need a ride?" Sasuke guessed, but Naruto shook his head 'no'.

"A-actually…Iruka's staying at Kakashi-sensei's house tonight, but uh… Well you see, I kind've left my key at home."

Sasuke rose an eyebrow, "You just told Iruka that you didn't forget it."

Naruto only chuckled nervously, "Eh heh heh, I kind've lied."

"… Idiot."

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

Sakura shook her head for seemingly the hundredth time today. She'd been smiling non-stop since her date – if she could call it that – and it was all because of what she and Naruto talked about. She'd never realized it before, but Naruto was really naive. She could remember their conversation at the restaurant clearly and she could only hope that her new friend – Naruto – and Sasuke would realize how stupid they were being.

"_So…" Sakura started, "You and Sasuke eh?" _

_Naruto almost spit out his drink at the question, "Wh-what?" he asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin incase any liquid escaped._

"_Yeah, that's why you just wanted to be friends with me right? Because you have mixed feelings about Sasuke?" she asked curiously and Naruto looked away, trying to hide his blush._

"_I… I don't really know." He mumbled quietly and Sakura's 'relationship problem senses' tingled. With a small smile she clasped her hands under her chin and leaned forward in her seat._

"_Well, why don't you talk to me about him? We can probably figure out how you feel." _

_Naruto hesitated for a bit, the obvious answer was 'no', but truthfully he wanted to know what it was he was feeling._

"_Okay." He agreed before going into his story, "When I first met Sasuke he was a pain in my ass. I didn't care for him much, but I guess it's because I had the hugest crush on you at the time."_

_Sakura smiled at that._

"_I guess, on my first date with you I realized that I might… you know… with Sasuke."_

"_You wanted to have sex with him?!" Sakura blurted and Naruto turned eighty shades of red._

"_What?! No! I meant that I might've started… uh liking Sasuke… I guess. N-not that I'm saying our date was bad or anything! It's just… well, before our date, Sasuke kissed me… well, it's more like I kissed him, but I-I didn't mean to! … It just… happened."_

_Sakura frowned; she thought she had taken Naruto's first kiss. He'd been so nervous… she just assumed._

"_Tell me Naruto, whose kiss did you like better? Mine or Sasuke's?"_

_Naruto gaped, he couldn't answer that! Sakura'd be so offended. The pinkette smiled knowingly._

"_Judging by your silence, it was Sasuke's kiss."_

_Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but Sakura continued, "And no, you didn't feel that way because it was your first kiss." The blonde's mouth shut._

"_Come on Naruto, don't stop now. Keep talking." _

"_Uh… Well afterwards, I avoided Sasu-"_

"_Why?" Sakura cut in._

"_Uh… I-I don't know, because we… ki-kissed and then were both boys and, and-"_

"_And you liked it?"_

"…_yeah." He mumbled and Sakura motioned for him to keep talking._

"_Well, then we got in a fight and the fact that we kissed got blurted on in lunch."_

_Sakura remembered that._

"_Then we avoided each other again, and then he asked if we could just be friends and I… I said yes."_

"_Why?"_

"_I-I don't know… so things would be easier?"_

_Sakura frowned, "But didn't it drive you crazy?"_

"_It did, but I hoped it'd go away. I hoped that after awhile, I'd like you more than I like Sasuke, demo…"_

"_Tell me Naruto… when we were at the festival… where'd you disappear to?"_

_Naruto blushed, "I ran into Sasuke and we went to the fun house." Naruto's blush got darker._

"_Ne, what'd you do there?" Sakura wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, "Did you guys have fin?"_

"_I-I…" Naruto stammered, his face so red that Sakura feared he might pop a blood vessel, "We… just kissed a little and he… touched me? He only touched my chest is all… nothing like… that."_

_Strangely, the only thought that ran through Sakura's head was how hot that'd be and not that naruto cheated on her._

'Oh Naruto,' Sakura thought, 'can't you come to your senses soon? Sasuke can't wait forever.'

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

"Ow! Fucking shit dobe – that hurt!" Sasuke exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his neck after Naruto pushed him into a wall.

"That's what you get for being a pervert!" the blonde screeched indignantly, clutching Sasuke's sheets closer to his body.

"I wasn't being a pervert; all I did was get in bed!" Sasuke snapped.

"Yeah well… why were you getting in bed with me?!"

"Because dobe, I only have one bed!"

"Teme!" naruto screeched.

"Dobe!"

"Teme!"

"Dobe!"

"Teme!"

"Usuratonkachi!"

Naruto gaped before launching himself at Sasuke, tackling him to the other end of the bed. They rolled around on the large bed, taking turns pinning one another to the fluffy surface. As the fight progressed, it became more about fun than anger and soon Sasuke was trying to tickle Naruto who was squealing like a pig.

Except to Sasuke – it sounded cute and was music to his ears.

"Ah ha Sas- heh stop!" Naruto squealed as Sasuke straddled the younger teen, pinning him between his legs. Sasuke ran his hands along Naruto's sides, tickling him so he burst into a fit of giggles.

Frankly it wasn't fair, because even if Naruto had pinned Sasuke… Uchiha's aren't ticklish.

It all seemed so childish and Naruto felt at ease, comfortable like this with Sasuke. Like this, there was no worry that they might accidentally do something less… innocent. That is, until Sasuke repositioned his hands so they were under Naruto's shirt. The blonde didn't think much of it, because it only made the tickling sensation that much stronger, and with a hazy mind, he just assumed that had been the Uchiha's goal – to make him laugh harder.

He however, was wrong.

Soon, Sasuke's hands slowed to a gentle rubbing up and down Naruto's sides and his laughter faded.

"Sasu…? H questioned lightly but said teen didn't answer in favor of staring into Naruto's eyes… there was something there – Naruto noted as he stared back – drowning in those pools of oil… something that Naruto didn't quite understand, and something he didn't want to.

Nervous, Naruto shot his arms out and placed them on Sasuke's shoulders who had been leaning too close for comfort. One of Sasuke's hands stilled at Naruto's side before the Uchiha brought it up to cup Naruto's cheek and use his thumb to caress a jagged scar. Unconsciously, Naruto nuzzled into the hand.

"… It's a bad memory." Naruto whispered lightly, afraid that he'd break the silence.

"Do they upset you?" Sasuke questioned and Naruto's lip trembled.

"Yes."

The corner of Sasuke's lip twitched upwards into a small smile.

"Well I think they're beautiful." He murmured before leaning forward and kissing each scar delicately before finally pressing their lips together. Through the kiss, Naruto could feel Sasuke's smile broaden.

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

(Note: In this section, italics is someone talking in English, and regular is Japanese.)

'Please let me make it, please let me make it.' Was the only coherent thought running through Ino's head as she sprinted through the airport. But, the airport was so big and there were so many terminals leaving to America that she had no idea where to look. But she couldn't give up because this was her only chance because the Nara was leaving for good…

'My only chance.' The thought spurred her to move faster and soon people were complaining as she pushed past them.

"Final call for flight C40 to America, _final call for flight C40 to America_." A voice called over the intercom, first in Japanese and then in English. It was a wild stab in the dark, but Ino opted to check that terminal. She'd be damned if she didn't find Shikamaru and knock some sense into him.

Like a gazelle, she sprinted through a crowd and onto an escalator where she once again pushed through the crowd.

'C25, C30, C35, C40 – yes!' she thought as she skidded into the terminal… just as they were shutting the doors.

"Wait!" Ino cried, startling the ticket lady, "I need to get on that plane!"

"Do you have a ticket?" she questioned and Ino frowned.

"Well… no, but I-"

"Then I'm sorry miss. Besides, the plane is about to take off. Even if you did have a ticket you wouldn't be able to board."

"Wh-what?" Ino asked, the gravity of the situation setting on her. The stewardess frowned before eyeing Ino, taking in the blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Kuso…" the women cursed, "My English isn't that great. Ano… _Board plane cannot you._" And Ino blinked at her like she was an idiot.

"Wh- Oh, never mind." She mumbled sadly before turning on her heel and dragging herself dejectedly to the escalators.

'I missed my chance.' She thought, trying to hold back her tears, but in the end she couldn't and she opted for silencing her sobs by cupping her hand over her mouth, 'Oh Shikamaru.'

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

"Is it better this way?" Sasuke asked as he crawled back into bed after having shut off the lights and shrouding them in darkness.

Naruto nodded before remembering that Sasuke probably could only see him as well as he saw Sasuke, which wasn't much – only a silhouette.

"Yes." Naruto answered and Sasuke sighed in relief before grabbing Naruto's face with both of his hands and pressing their lips together again.

Naruto's arms found their way over Sasuke's shoulders, encircling him and pulling him closer.

Cautiously, Sasuke pressed his hips into Naruto's, using the blonde's gasp as a chance to delve his tongue into Naruto's mouth.

Encouraged, Sasuke rocked his hips into Naruto's who gasped again and tightened his grip around Sasuke's shoulders.

"Naruto." Sasuke breathed as he brought his hands to Naruto's hips, his thumbs occasionally delving into Naruto's waistband.

"It's okay." The blonde reassured breathlessly and Sasuke gripped his waistband before tugging them along with the blonde's orange boxers down to his thighs before repeating the action with his own clothes. He pressed their hips together one more, this time with no rough fabric preventing them from touching skin to skin.

"Sa-Sasuke." Naruto mewled softly.

Soon the room was filled with quiet pants and the occasional drawn out groan.

"Naruto."

"Sasuke."

They mewled each other's names softly but consistently. As if assuring themselves that this was real, that tomorrow they wouldn't wake only for this to be a dream.

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

'Oh Shikamaru.' Ino thought as she waited for the escalator to reach the bottom floor. She'd given up hope in finding the Nara, there was no way that he'd been on any of those other flights unless of course, he –

"-Missed it." A voice drawled but Ino paid it no mind, "Stupid troublesome airports."

'… Troublesome? Shikamaru?!' Ino's head snapped up and lo and behold, there he was on the opposite elevator.

"Shikamaru!" she called, but the Nara didn't seem to hear her, and if he did he didn't show it.

"Shikamaru, Shikamaru!" she chanted as frantically made her way up the escalator, getting complaints that this was the 'down' stairs.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she made it to the top before quickly glancing around and spotting the lazy boy.

"Shikamaru!" she cried, catching said teen's attention. But, before he could turn around to look at her, she tackled him to the ground.

"Oh Shikamaru, I'm not too good for you!" Ino cried as she pulled back to allow the Nara to turn over so he could look at her.

"I-Ino?" He questioned – eyes wide.

"Chouji told me how you really feel and I-I feel the same way! Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

"Because, I'm not good enough for you and you'll… get tired of me. There are so many other guys that like you Ino, and eventually someone better is going to come along and you'l-"

"And I'll what? Leave you?!" Ino snapped, "Do you really think I'm that kind've girl? Shika… I-I've had the hugest crush on you since the third grade!"

"… But you're always fawning over other guys like Sasuke."

"I did it to make you jealous, Sasuke's cute and all but… he's not you Shika, and the only one I want is you." She cried, "So please, please don't go."

"I… I'm sorry Ino, I have to."

"N-no, you can't. Just please Shikamaru, please…" she begged, but the Nara only shook his head and sat up.

"It's just for a year, I'll be back in a year." He said and Ino nodded, tears falling from her eyes.

"O… Okay."

"You'll wait for me right?" Shikamaru asked and Ino nodded.

"Good, because trying to win you back would be too troublesome."

"Shikamaru!" Ino gasped and he chuckled.

"I'm kidding… just wait. Promise me you'll wait."

"I promise." She whispered and Shikamaru grabbed her hand and interlaced their fingers.

"I love you Ino." He said before kissing her gently – kissing the girl he'd loved since he first saw her. It'd be okay, he could wait just a little bit longer.

XxXSasuxNaruXxX

"You alright?" Sasuke questioned as he snuggled into Naruto's back.

"Yeah… I'm fine." Naruto mumbled, "Just tried is all."

"Go to sleep then." Sasuke whispered as he kissed the top of his blonde's head.

"I will." Naruto promised before heaving a shaky sigh and shutting his eyes, though he didn't fall asleep. Even after Sasuke's breathing evened out, Naruto still hadn't fallen asleep.

So many thoughts ran through his head. Like what would tomorrow bring? And even if he'd be able to face it. His mind was foggy and he worried that during their intimacy he'd done something wrong. As he climaxed – Naruto remembered – Sasuke had paused for a moment, as if Naruto said something puzzling, before rubbing their hips once more so he could climax as well. Had he said something, had he done something wrong? Naruto didn't know, and he found himself trying to stay awake so tomorrow wouldn't come. But… he was only human and soon his eyelids were drooping before sleep finally over took him.

e He

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** How long has it been? Too long you say? … Meh… Review?**

** Is it me, or was everybody sighing heavily in this chapter? I need to find some more synonyms. **

**Smoke and shadows lemon, you saw nothing – ha!**


	11. Alone

**Disclaimer: Not mine… But, I have proof that I write stuff like this a lot… After all, the keys A,S,E,O,N, and L are all faded on my keyboard. Pretty soon it'll just be a board of blank buttons! … I need a new hobby.**

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**~Chapter Eleven~**

**Alone**

The next morning, Naruto woke with a start. He thought he just had one of the best, yet on of the worst dreams ever… but, when he saw Sasuke lying beside him, a sense of dread flooded around him as he realized it hadn't been a dream.

He knew he shouldn't be behaving such a way – after all, last night had been a mutual agreement. Even so, he couldn't help but frantically search for his boxers and jeans before slipping them on hurriedly.

As he exited Sasuke's room and then house he didn't hesitate one bit. He couldn't do it – after all, how could he face the guy after doing something like… like _that_. It just wasn't natural – two boys.

That's what he told himself at least, but really, that wasn't what was bothering him. His father was gay after all, but… He couldn't face Sasuke, because while last night had been mutual, Sasuke didn't have everything he wanted.

Naruto didn't picture Sasuke as the type of guy that was much into relationships, so to Naruto – the Uchiha had nothing to offer.

Last night, Naruto had _needed_ the raven, whilst Sasuke only _wanted_ him. Funny, because Naruto had always felt they were the same thing (despite what his economy teacher tried to drill into his head).

Naruto didn't want to do the whole 'friends with benefits' thing, because while it might be nice, the package came with a catch – heartbreak.

Eventually – Naruto knew – Sasuke would get tired of such a fling, and then what…? Where would Naruto be?

Alone. And, he knew – he wouldn't be able to take it. Things would be better this way. He was okay with this (this being denying the facts, and more importantly – his heart) – he'd find someone else hopefully. Though he had his doubts, because he'd never before felt for someone like he felt now for Sasuke. Sure, he had liked Sakura at first, but with Sasuke – it had been so sudden – so thrilling. With Sakura he had felt like he was _supposed_ to like her, but with Sasuke… Sasuke made him feel free.

Naruto dug his phone from his pocket and dialed Iruka's number.

"Hey, can you come pick me up?" he asked as he walked away from Sasuke's house and out of the Uchiha complex. He could see the place he was at yesterday from here.

"Yeah, I'm at Auntie Rem's Cow Central." He murmured before pulling the phone away from his ear so he didn't go deaf listening to Iruka's screeching.

"Okay Iruka," he started, once the mother-hen finished his lecture, "Please… come pick me up." He grumbled before ending the call and shoving his phone in his pocket.

In a matter of minutes, Iruka was speeding up the curve and Naruto was clambering in the car. He was a little frightened – after all, it was supposed to be a twenty minute drive.

"I thought you had a key." Iruka snapped and Naruto chuckled nervously.

"Well, did you at least stay at Sasuke's?"

"No, Auntie Rem let me stay over."

"You stayed at that Butcher Shop?!"

"Don't talk about Auntie Rem that way – she's a nice lady!" Naruto vouched, though truthfully he didn't know if she was, and he really didn't want to find out either.

"Did you tell Sasuke you didn't have your key? I'm sure he would've let you stay given the circumstances." Iruka informed.

"I told him you'd pick me up from Auntie Rem's and th-"

"-Naruto!" Iruka snapped, "What did I tell you about lying?!"

"But Iruka, I didn't lie! You picked me up there didn't you?"

"… Naruto…"

"Yes Iruka?"

"… Never mind, your logic just amazes me is all."

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For some reason, Sasuke felt unnaturally cold when he woke up. There was an indent next to him, from where Naruto lay last night, but the space was cold.

'He left.' Sasuke thought with dread, a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed angrily as he sat up in bed, eyes scanning his room for something of Naruto's in hopes that the blonde hadn't left but was perhaps in another room.

The eerie silence throughout his whole house however, told him that yes – Naruto had left.

Despite himself, he was confused. Why would Naruto leave after last night? After they… Maybe he took things too fast, but after Naruto said such thing last night… he just couldn't believe the blonde would leave.

Maybe… maybe he left because Sasuke hadn't said it back…

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A bag of chips lie untouched next to Chouji as he stared up at the sky, watching the clouds.

Normally, he saw shapes like chips, BBQ, and cake; but recently… he saw nothing, just clouds.

Shikamaru said he saw pillows and beds, and everything in the world he wanted.

The Nara would tell him stories to pass the time, and it had been perfect.

Now however, all he heard was the chirping of cicadas and the sound of the wind… and silence.

No droned voice, no tired sighs, no crunching of chips, and no Shikamaru.

Just empty-ness, and cold – cold loneliness.

… He wished Shikamaru would hurry back.

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"No thanks Iruka, I'm just going to be in my room playing games and such." Naruto answered as he climbed up the stairs to his bedroom.

Iruka frowned, as soon as they got home, Naruto started being unusually quiet. Not that he didn't enjoy the silence, but it was just weird and frankly, he was worried about the boy.

"Well, how about I made you some ramen?"

"… No, I'm not hungry."

Something was definitely wrong.

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Ino stared up at the sky, something she rarely did. Unlike Shikamaru, she had a lack of an imagination and didn't find any enjoyment staring at the fluffy white clouds and pristine blue sky.

Now though, looking at the sky meant so much to her. Looking at the sky meant that Shikamaru was probably looking at the same sky. His sky might be dark blue now, and clustered with stars but really… it was all the same.

She felt a little silly, staring out her window like a love-sick school girl, but she was one wasn't she? It didn't matter, as long as Shikamaru loved her. And love her he does…

Waiting would be tough, because the thought of being so far apart hurt her, but she was happy. Happy because when Shikamaru came back, they could finally be together.

She waited all those years for Shikamaru, so one more year couldn't hurt… could it?"

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Naruto grumbled to himself as he walked to his room. Don't get him wrong, he loved ramen, but at the current moment he felt sick to his stomach and he doubted he'd be able to eat anything.

He didn't want to soil his precious ramen by throwing it up now did he? No. That'd be terrible.

If he had thought the past few months were confusing, then he was sorely mistaken. This was just…

"-Ugh! I don't even know!" Naruto exclaimed whilst tugging at strands of sunshine gold hair.

There were so many thoughts running through his head, like whether what he did was wrong, how he felt about it, how Sasuke felt about it, and what would come out of it.

The fact that he and Sasuke were both boys didn't bother him (though he tried to convince himself it was something as simple as that) – after all, Iruka was gay – if walking in on him and Kakashi-sensei making like rabbits proved it.

Last night hadn't felt wrong, but at the same time it hadn't felt right either. Yes, it had felt good and all, but something seemed to be missing.

For Sasuke, he felt so many different emotions, ranging from like to dislike. He never knew what he'd bee feeling for the Uchiha, he just knew it'd succeed in thoroughly confusing him.

At times he really liked Sasuke, but then, when the teme was being an asshole, Naruto hated him. (Perfectly understandable.)

But then, last night, amongst the heat and lust he was feeling, there had been something else buried amongst such heated emotions, and that was (though he didn't want to admit it) passion – love.

Surely not though, because he only _liked _Sasuke. Just before the school break, he had said there was no way he could ever love Sasuke (if he even knew what love was), but now… now he wasn't so sure.

Until he could come to terms with his emotions, he didn't even what to think about what Sasuke felt about last night… though if he did love Sasuke, then he definitely didn't want to know if last night had meant anything to the Uchiha, because he feared that it meant nothing.

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Sasuke stared wistfully out his bedroom window; he'd been looking out almost all day. He dared not venture into the rest of his house – he didn't want to see the empty halls and barren rooms. He didn't want to face how alone he really was…

He was used to his big empty house, but today… a part of him felt lost.

It'd been a long time since the Uchiha had grown so attached to someone… he worked hard to detach himself from the world ever since his parent's marriage fell to pieces. Since he caught his mother cheating – since he eloped with the man she cheated with – since his father distanced himself til he was driven to the point of suicide…

He'd done a good job too, never getting too attached to anyone… But now…

He clenched his fists angrily before pressing his burning face against the cool window to help calm himself down.

He felt terrible, felt abandoned… but worst than that - he was sitting here sulking instead of trying to get Naruto back - he felt like a coward.

He could too – get Naruto back that is – because unlike his family, his blonde wasn't lost or dead.

Still, he made no move to get up. He just sat there, with his fists clenched and his cheeked pressed against the window….

Mourning, like the coward he is.

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Iruka sighed as he moved away from his adoptive son's bedroom door. He had made ramen for the boy despite the turned down offer, but what he heard on the other side of the door stopped him from knocking.

He had stood for a good five minutes - one hand holding ramen and the other raised in the air, poised to knock – listening to his son and being completely dumfounded.

What he heard, was something he hadn't heard in years, and something he hadn't expected to hear for probably the rest of his life. Truthfully, he hadn't heard this sound coming from his poor blonde since he got attacked in that alley and got his scars… the fact that he heard broken sobs emitting from Naruto's room really disturbed him.

He knew now, that whatever was bothering the blonde must be terrible because…

Naruto was crying.

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**Meh, short chapter. Shame on me, I'm terrible. But alas, the following chapters shall be longer… hopefully. I won't really know until I write 'em.**


	12. Reminise

**Disclaimer: Did you read the newest Naruto manga chapter? I did, and I think that gives me the ownership of Naruto… No? Damn. **

**~ Chapter Twelve ~**

**Reminisce**

Naruto watched – that's all he ever seemed to do – he watched as all the other children in his class played. For some reason, not having parents made him weird. And nobody wanted to play with the weird kid. He didn't mind though, because he was used to being alone. He wasn't like the other children at the orphanage – he didn't know his parents, didn't have them plucked away with no notice. He suppose that made him lucky, because you can't lose something you never had.

The amount of children at the orphanage was a minimum of thirteen children, all of which were two or more years older than Naruto – so none of the kids he did know were in his class. Oh well, he isn't that close to those children anyway.

He dug the toe of his shoe into the dirt dejectedly making crude drawings in an act of boredom. He was eager for the bell to ring so he could hurry back to class and then go… well, not home but to the orphanage.

The sooner the days passed, the sooner he'd get older and finally be able to leave.

The next day found Naruto sitting in the park since it was a weekend. He spent as much time as he could here, because being away from the dreary walls of the orphanage and the insensitive kids at school meant a little bit of happiness. And if being alone meant being happy, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

Normally, he'd just play on the slide or draw pictures in the sand. But recently, he'd taken to playing with a stray kitten. He had named it Kyuubi, and he brought it food on his way to and from school, and on the weekends. He really couldn't give her much, just bits and pieces of his breakfast and lunch. Still, he made it a habit to visit her every single day.

"You're getting fat." He teased as he scratched the orangish red cat behind her eat. Naturally, she purred in delight.

It was almost curfew, so he'd have to leave soon – he noted as he glanced at the sky.

"I have to go now Kyuubi." He said as he released the animal, "But I'll be back tomorrow morning." He promised before setting a piece of bread and a scrap of meat on the ground for her to eat. She mewled in delight.

"Alright then, buh-bye!"

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"Sasuke-sweetie, will you be a dear and set the table for me?" Sasuke's mother questioned as she wiped her hands on her apron, riding then of flour.

"Hai Okaa-san!" he cried cheerfully before grabbing a stack of heavy glass plates off the counter and lugging them to the dining room table. He repeated the process with the forks, knives, and glasses.

Thank you Sasuke, your such a good boy." His mother praised as she piled food onto all of the dishes and filled the glasses.

"You go get your brother and I'll get your father." She announced and the youngest Uchiha eagerly ran off to fetch his elder brother.

"Aniki!" he called as he threw his brother's door open, mildly surprising the other Uchiha.

"What is it Otoutou?" he asked as he set aside his reading glasses to study his little brother.

"Dinner's ready, Kaa-san sent me to get you."

He bolted out of the room then – his brother following at a leisurely pace – ready to eat his mother's deliciously prepared meal.

"Mikoto!" his father's voice suddenly bellowed, just as he and Itachi were about to round the corner leading into the dining room. Sasuke froze and Itachi stilled at his side. Yelling ensued and Sasuke looked up at Itachi who looked like a man condemned to death. Sasuke's eyes said only one thing, 'They're fighting again.'

Fugaku and Mikoto were always fighting nowadays, and Sasuke hated it. He didn't know why they fought whenever they were alone in a room together; he just knew that it was always his father that started yelling first. Personally, he thought both of his parents to be idiots for arguing so much… but, if he were forced to choose between his mother and father, Mikoto would surely win. It was an easy choice for Sasuke, because his father was always so busy with work, and never had time for him - telling him to be more like Itachi. But mother, she loved him for him. Mikoto was so nice and sweet; she tucked Sasuke in bed every night, hugged him and kissed him. Yes, his mother would surely win.

Sasuke cried into his mother's dress as Itachi placed the last of his things into the back of his car.

"Why does he have to leave Kaa-san? I don't want Aniki to go!" he cried as his mother rubbed soothing circles on his back.

"Shh, it's okay. Itachi-nii-san is just going to college so he can further his education. You'll see him again."

"Bu-but," he sniffled, "Aniki's my favorite brother, he can't go."

Mikoto chuckled, "You're so silly, Itachi's your only brother… Look at it this way, maybe now your father will finally pay attention to you."

Sasuke didn't see it, for his face was still buried in his mothers dress – but Mikoto shot Fugaku a glare when she said that.

"What do you want from me?" Fugaku roared at Mikoto, and Sasuke flinched from his hiding spot.

"For you to pay more attention to Sasuke! That's all he wants from you – for you to acknowledge him!" Mikoto retorted.

"I do pay attention to him, it's not my fault he likes you better!"

"The only reason his likes me better is because I tell him I love him, I show him I love him! And what do you do? You sit in your office and work! And the only reason you paid attention to Itachi, was so he'd make a suitable replacement for the head of Uchiha Industries one day! Your despicable Fugaku! You love nothing but your precious company – you don't even love me anymore!"

That was the end of the argument, because Mikoto broke into tears and fled the room.

'Stupid father,' Sasuke thought to himself, 'How can he be so mean to mother?'

After the fight, Mikoto began to distance herself and Sasuke found himself alone in his big, empty house. A week or so ago, Itachi had stopped calling everyday, so Sasuke didn't have anyone to play with, and didn't have anyone to talk with. He soon found himself joining clubs after school just so he could stay away from the suffocating silence at home. The only good thing that happened was getting extra credit in school and more importantly, the silence in his home meant that his parents had stopped fighting. His parents were still mad at one another of course, but they took to avoiding each other like the plague instead. Occasionally, his father would pat him on the head and tell him he was proud of him, but it was all Sasuke needed. It wasn't much, but at least now he knew that his father really cared for him.

His mother stopped cooking the meals everyday and resorted to hiring cooks to do it. The meals were better yes, but it wasn't the same. He missed the days when they'd all sit down for a homemade meal. Nowadays, his parents ate in their separate rooms, and Sasuke took his meals alone at the dining room table. Sometimes, he'd cry at night and long for the days when his family was whole. But, as time passes and the days grew lonelier, Sasuke knew things would never be the same.

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"Ouch!" Ino whined when Shikamaru once again tugged on her hair. He'd been doing it all day and it was beginning to annoy her.

Shikamaru only stared at her with innocent eyes before turning away in favor of staring at the clouds. Ino huffed, before turning back to her coloring book and resuming her previously interrupted task.

Moments later however, there was another sharp tug on her hair and she whirled around to slap Shikamaru's hand away.

"Stop that!" she scolded, but his grip never loosened and he tugged the strand of hair once more.

"That hurts!" she cried as Shikamaru kept pulling her hair. She smacked his hand repeatedly, but it seemed as if the Nara was on mission, as her sharp slaps did nothing to deter him.

Chouji, who had been watching the affair awhile now, finally decided to throw his two cents in, "I think your hurting her, you should stop Shika,"

Shikamaru looked at Chouji a moment before releasing the blonde's hair and sighing heavily.

"Her yelling was getting troublesome anyway." He muttered and suddenly Ino broke into tears, as her fingers played with her long hair.

"You're so mean Shikamaru!" she cried before grabbing her coloring book and standing up, "I'm going home! I don't want to play with someone that's mean!"

And she did. She stormed home, crying all the while, not sure as to why Shikamaru acted the way he did.

"Mommy," she greeted when her mother returned home from work, "Shikamaru was being mean to me."

Her mother frowned, "Why, what'd he do? I thought you two were friends, he must not have meant to be mean."

"No, he did!" Ino vouched, "He kept pulling my hair even though I told him he was being mean and that it hurt!"

Her mother was quiet for a moment, before she broke into a fit of giggles.

"Hey – what's so funny?" Ino demanded and her mother smiled.

"He just likes you is all."

"What? No! He pulled my hair!"

"Ino darling, boys do that to the girls they like."

The little Yamanaka blushed before puffing her cheeks out, "I don't believe you."

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"Kyuubi! Kyuubi!" Naruto called as he wandered through the park looking for his beloved cat. He hadn't been able to visit yesterday because he was sick, so he planned on making it up to the cat by giving her extra food, but she was no where to be found.

"Moe~ Kyuubi, quit hiding." He whined as he looked through the bushes she sometimes slept in. Kyuubi was such a good hider, so he didn't worry when he realized he'd been searching well over ten minutes.

And then he saw her. Lying in the road, sleeping.

"Kyuubi!" he cried, "You can't sleep there!" he warned as he got closer. But then, he noticed something strange.

"Kyuubi…? What's wrong?" he questioned, his eyes wandering over her unusually still form – taking in the minute traces of blood. Hesitantly, he dropped to his knees and scratched behind her ear – her favorite place to be pet.

"She's broken."

His eyes began to brim with tears as he caressed her battered body.

"Hey! What are you doing in the middle of the road?" Naruto turned his head to look at the owner of the voice – an onyx haired boy maybe a year or two older than him. The boy's eyes widened when he noticed the tears streaming steadily down Naruto's face.

He asked, "… What's wrong?" as he stepped closer to Naruto, who had turned back to Kyuubi.

"She's broken." He stated pitifully.

The older boy peered down at Kyuubi before shaking his head, "It's not broken. It's dead."

Naruto cried for weeks after the incident with Kyuubi and the stranger who bluntly told him that Kyuubi – whom he'd known for months by now – was dead. He felt irrationally angry at the inconsiderate boy, and he almost wanted to meet him again so he could give him a piece of his mind… almost. But in the end, it would just be easier to forget the boy. Naruto didn't even bother to remember his face.

With Kyuubi gone, he felt so alone now, and he often found himself doing nothing but sitting at Kyuubi's grave.

Unfortunately, he had had to leave her grave unmarked for fear that kids would vandalize it. He wished he could do more for his first friend ever… but there was nothing he could do. Not now, not ever.

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'Stupid!' Sasuke scolded himself as he walked home from the park. He had no idea why he had just flat out told that little kid his cat was dead, but he regretted it. All that resulted from his behavior was the little blonde scooping up his cat and then running off, crying even harder then when he thought the animal was simply broken.

A sickening feeling settled in his gut the more he thought of the heartbroken boy, he felt so terrible. He had no idea what it felt like to lose something so precious (he assumed his brother moving out was nothing compared to the death of a beloved pet) and he felt horrible , because he knew he probably made the blonde's mourning twenty times worse. He desperately wanted to say sorry to the boy, but he never saw him again. He even tried going to that same park he met the blonde in, but either the boy never went there again, or Sasuke always just missed him.

"Here you go Sasuke- kun." The cook chimed cheerfully as she set his meal on the dining room table. She frowned when Sasuke merely mumbled a thank you and then proceeded to eat his meal solemnly.

"Is Fugaku-sama and Mikoto-chama not joining you again today?" the cook questioned, placing her hands on her hips.

"Just me." He mumbled and the cook huffed before disappearing in the kitchen, only to return a minute later with a plate of food.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked as she sat down beside him and began to eat.

She stopped mid-bite to smile at the shocked Uchiha, "Why, I'm eating dinner with you." Was all she said before resuming eating her meal. Both occupants of the table were silent the rest of dinner. Still, Sasuke couldn't wipe the smallest of smiles off his face for the rest of the night.

The next morning, the cook joined him for breakfast once more, and they engaged in small talk about Sasuke's schooldays and after school activities.

For Sasuke, life was beginning to look up, and meal times were happy times. Slowly but surely, Sasuke came to hate lunch at school, because it was a meal wasted – one he could be sharing with the cook.

His meal times with the cook became an everyday occurrence that lasted for weeks, and never once did this change.

Which is why Sasuke was confused when a different cook served him breakfast, one weekend morning.

"Who… where's the other cook?" Sasuke questioned and the man smiled sadly at him, "The old cook? She got fired."

And suddenly the world was crashing down around the onyx eyed boy. There was no reason to ask the replacement cook why his friend was fired – he already knew. Uchihas are not to mingle with people below the. And for the first time in his life, Sasuke wished he wasn't an Uchiha.

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How long had it been since an Iruka came to the orphanage and adopted a certain little blonde? Naruto wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was happy the man did. He felt like he could breathe now that he was out of the orphanage's clutches. Despite the situation though, he still cried… cried when he thought about _that _incident.

Unconsciously, Naruto caressed his cheek where his newly formed scars reside.

It wasn't too long before Iruka adopted him that Naruto got these hideous scars… he hated them.

After Kyuubi's death, he longed for a new friend. And a new friend, he got. He had been playing in the park when he noticed a tabby cat sniffing around for food. The situation was even better, because Naruto had some fruit snacks in his pocket. Eager, he followed after the kitty (who he deemed Neko-san) and kneeled beside him. He dug the fruit snacks from his jeans and set them down in front of the shaking kitty. Hesitantly, it sniffed the colorful treats before greedily gulping them up. Naruto smiled and reached out to pet the animal, but a car drove by and started Neko-san away and into an alley. Afraid that he would lose his new friend, Naruto followed it.

And that is where it happened, his accident. He had nightmares about the incident.

But the man and women in the alley had done more than scarred his face; they had scarred his very being. And until Iruka adopted, Naruto had believed himself to be tainted.

But what had been worse than the accident itself, was that despite how crowded the park had been that day, despite how many people had walked past that alley… no one had heard Naruto's cry for help, and if they had – nobody came to save him.

Yes, the police found him afterwards – a mere moment _after_ the pair of assaulters had finished – and caught the culprits. But it still made him upset that no one had found him during those grueling thirty minutes.

Apparently, a little boy had alerted the police, but the cops had not believed the child at first. Why, Naruto didn't know.

A week after the incident, Naruto received flowers and anonymous letter that read:

'_I'm sorry the police had not arrived sooner, they didn't believe me at first when I told them what Shukaku had seen… Oh, and Shukaku says thanks for the fruit snacks.'_

"Naruto," Iruka called, snapping the small blonde from his thoughts, "breakfast is ready."

He smiled, that's right – all of that didn't matter anymore… because he had Iruka, he had a family.

Eager, he bolted through the hall and into the middle-aged man's arms. He'd almost forgotten just how happy he was now.

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Father was out at the moment, so Sasuke took it upon himself to wander through the house freely. When both of his parents were home, he was confined to his room (by will, not force), so it was rare that he got such an opportunity to explore. He liked to pretend he was in a haunted house, which is why he was carrying around a flashlight. His favorite place was the guest section of the house, because no one occupied that area and all the curtains were pulled shut, shrouding the area in darkness. He was just about to enter one of the rooms when he heard a groan from across the hall. His first thought had been to run, but then he figured, since he was playing ghost, he might as well investigate to see what the sound was.

If he listened carefully, he could hear the creaking of wood and muffled gasps.

'A ghost,' he had thought, 'I'm going to catch it!'

But when he opened the door, there was no ghost, only his mother in another man's arms.

The cause for his parents strange behavior, finally pieced together in his mind, like a puzzle.

His… mother, the parent he loved the most had been… Sasuke never felt so betrayed in his life.

Month's had passed since the incident, and Sasuke's relationship with his father only seemed to worsen. Despite his mother's betrayal – despite her leaving him behind and running off with someone else, he loathed his father. If his father had been a better man, he would think, then his mother would not have had to resort to such measures.

And so, when he returned home one day, all of the servants and several officers of the law crowded around his father's study, Sasuke had not been surprised or devastated to learn that his father had committed suicide. All he did was nod that he understood what was going on, shove his hands in his pockets, and then retire to his room.

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**Woah, pretty sad chapter, huh? Anyway~ How long has it been? Five months? Man, am I in trouble. **

**Anyway, to clear up any confusion, in the chapter were Naruto and Sasuke got intimate – they didn't go all the way. There was no penetration, just some good 'ol rubbing of certain body parts with a little help from their hands. **

**If you have any questions about this chapter, if something didn't make sense – please feel free to ask.**

**Well then… see you soon!**


	13. Loveless

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all of it's characters belong to the amazing Kishimoto-sensei, and poor people like me receive no profit from these fan fics. **

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**~Chapter Thirteen~**

**Loveless**

"Excuse me, but do you know where I can find the special class?" Sai asked sweetly as he eyes the small blonde before him.

"Oh, that's where I am heading; you can walk with me."

That had been two hours ago, and now Sai was sitting a mere seat away from his beloved. He scowled when he saw the Uchiha was in the class as well - and seated next to Naruto no less - but soon became elated when he realized the boys were not talking.

'A lover's spat.' he finally decided, eyeing how they oozed sexual tension, with a side of awkward so thick, it could be sliced with a butter knife.

He wondered what they fought about, it must have been serious, judging by their tense shoulders and quiet atmosphere. They definitely hadn't seemed that way when Sai had first seen them at the fair.

Perhaps he could ask Naruto? Or would that seem too imposing? Sai assumed it would.

"He's not a piece of meat."

"Excuse me?" Sai questioned. He turned to look at his desk mate, a glaring red-head, and frowned at him. 'Who is this freak?' he wondered as he took in the blank eyes rimmed with heavy black makeup, lack of eyebrows, and blood red 'love kanji' tattoo that took up the left side of his forehead.

"I don't like to repeat myself."

"I see... what is he then, if not eye candy?"

"He's human, a good human, and he doesn't need some robot perving all over him."

"Does he even know who you are?" I didn't see him greet you this morning, like he greeted that dog." Sai sniped, referring to Kiba who was sitting behind Naruto.

"Just because he doesn't know me, doesn't mean I can't protect him from freaks like you."

"You don't even know me."

"And you don't know Naruto."

Sai raised an eyebrow, and then mentally congratulated himself because he could do such a tiny action and the red-head could not. "Oh, and I suppose you do?"

"Yes, I do. I've known him since we were children."

Sai was quiet, "I don't believe you."

"... And I don't care."

The glared at one another for seemingly hours before Sai huffed and turned to see what Kakashi had just written on the board.

'It seems I have more competition than I thought.'

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"You look like crap Naruto." Kiba said as he took Sasuke's recently vacated seat. Break had started and the Uchiha had eagerly abandoned his seat and bolted out of the room. The Inuzuka quickly took the chance to check on his forlorn friend.

"I feel like crap too." Naruto mumbled tiredly.

"Well, that's probably why then." a desperate attempt at a joke, and a failed one at that.

"Am I a coward?" the question surprised the dog boy, but before he had time to question his friend's odd behavior, Naruto started chuckling nervously and scratching the back of his head - a nervous habit. "Ha ha, never mind." he exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Kiba, did you know that dolphins only let one half of their brain sleep at a time because they have to stay conscious to breathe?"

Kiba frowned, "No uh... I didn't know that, but what about the que-"

"-And you know what else?" Naruto cut him off, "You know how when bee stings you it dies... but do you know why? I do. It's cause their internal organs are attached to their stingers so when they sting something, all of their organs get torn out... What idiots! ... Speaking of idiots, I'm an idiot. I slept with Sasuke and then I ran away because I'm scared that he doesn't like me like I like him."

"Na-Naruto, what are you-" "And another thing, The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases! Wow, at least they can figure things out unlike me! I didn't even know I liked him, liked him until it happened... but I still ran away."

Kiba frowned. Naruto was always like this when he was upset. he'd spout random facts about something seemingly irrelevant, and then he'd blurt out what was bothering him.

Naruto was silent for a moment, eyes wide before he began to scold himself, "Ah, what am I saying? Just kidding... I didn't...never mind."

'What was I thinking?' Naruto seethed in his mind, 'Kiba doesn't want to hear about those things! Now he is going to think I'm insane."

"Naruto... you can talk to me if you like, even if it's about, uh... things... that have to do with Sasuke?" It didn't sound very reassuring to Naruto, but he'd take the offer anyway.

"D'you think I'm crazy?" Naruto finally decided to ask. "Crazy in the head? No. Crazy for Sasuke? Probably."

Naruto flushed. Did he really seem that way, was he really that obvious? Surely he must, if even Kiba noticed his attraction to the Uchiha. If it was obvious though, why didn't Sasuke say anything? 'Maybe he doesn't care.' he thought sadly.

And then, as if seemingly reading his mind, Kiba spoke up. "You know, I think Sasuke might like you too... it's always hard to show people you care about them when your Sasuke and you have a frigid ice stick up you ass." Naruto giggled, Kiba always made him feel better.

"You should tell him how you feel." Kiba said and Naruto frowned.

"Maybe... But he seems to be in such a bad mood today."

"You were too remember?" Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Ah yes, that's right."

"-Naruto, can I talk to you?" a cold voice suddenly asked and Naruto looked up into equally as cold eyes.

"Umm..." he raked his brain, trying to remember the read-head's name from roll call, "What is it... Gaara?" His lip twitched a bit, Naruto remembered his name.

"Can I talk to you in private?" Naruto turned to look at Kiba before hesitantly getting out of his seat and following Gaara into the hallway.

"You probably don't remember me, but... I've know you since we were children. I don't mean to sound like a stalker."

'He's not doing a very good job.' Naruto thought dryly.

"You fed my cat fruit snacks."

"...What?" that had thrown him for a loop, Naruto fed his cat... fruit snacks? ...He thought for a moment... fruit snacks... and a cat... Oh, the stray tabby! The one he followed into that... alley...

"You... your the boy that called the police... they didn't- who's Shukaku?"

Gaara stared at him as if he were an idiot, "My cat."

Oh... Naruto was confused.

"My sister didn't like Shukaku, because he made messes. She kicked him out. I fed him as often as I could, but it was hard. I hadn't fed him in days because I got sick, and I was on my way to feed him, when I found him sitting by an alley... he had a couple of fruit snacks with him. Shukaku told me that the person who fed him - you - was in danger. I couldn't see anything - the alley was too dark, but I thought I heard something so I ran to the police station. It was as I was running away, that I heard your cry for help - I'm surprised no one else had heard it. I knew then Shukaku hadn't been lying. But when I told the police about what Shukaku had seen, they didn't believe me. So I told them about your cry of help and they decided to 'humor me'. They felt horrible when they found you."

Naruto wasn't sure what to say. "Umm... thank you... you should have said something sooner... we could have been friends."

"... We can't be friends now?" Naruto flushed, "Oh! Yes, of course. I meant that we could have been friends sooner."

Gaara's lip twitched, "I'd like that."

"... Shukaku... do you still have him?"

"Yes."

"I'd like to see him sometime."

This time, Gaara couldn't stop the smile.

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"What were you and Naruto talking about?" Sai questioned slyly as he sat next to Gaara. The red-head glared at him, "None of your business."

"I do hope you weren't feeding him lies about me." Sai commented, smiling his eerily fake smile.

"Don't flatter yourself... Besides, I'm sure he can figure out your cruel intentions on his own." was Gaara's clipped reply. The annoyance in his tone excited Sai.

"Hm... I'm sure I can delude him." Gaara had an urge to punch the pale boy, instead he opted on getting up and leaving in the middle of class (break ended after Gaara and Naruto finished their hallway conversation).

Kakashi looked up from his book for a moment, before shrugging, deciding to let the Sabaku go. 'Twas fine.

Naruto looked at Gaara worriedly, he wondered was wrong, before turning back to his paper. "I hope he's alright." he mumbled and Sasuke turned to look at him, opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. He doubted Naruto would answer him anyway.

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Sasuke desperately wanted to touch Naruto. Not intimately, he just wanted to touch his shoulder... or something. Anything really. He just wanted to confirm that Naruto was here. He wanted to speak to the blonde, tell him they didn't have to be intimate if Naruto didn't want to... if they could just be friends again. But Sasuke knew that wouldn't work, that it was lovers or nothing. And the rejection hurt. The other night he thought for sure he and Naruto had something, but it seemed he had taken things to fast and Naruto regretted what they had done. If he had known that the outcome of such a passionate night would end like this, he wouldn't have done it. But still, he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Frowning, he turned to look at the quiet blonde next to him. It seems he didn't know Naruto as well as he thought he had. He hadn't known that Naruto and Gaara were friends, hadn't until he heard Naruto's whispered worry after the Sabaku had walked out. How could he have expected to start a relationship with Naruto, when he didn't even know him as well as a friend should. He felt out of the loop, and not it seemed there was no chance of getting back in.

'I'm useless,' Sasuke thought, 'pathetic.'

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_Dear Shikamaru, _

_Incase you're wondering how I got your address, I got it from your dad. He's just as strange as always and he seems to be more afraid of your mother than usual... now that you're gone. Umm... Oh! Why did I just write that?... Why am I writing this...? Never mind, ignore that. I'm rambling. This letter will probably arrive around the same time that you get settle in... Have you perfected your English? Or was it too troublesome? Or is not being able to read sign and talk to people too troublesome? ... We should e-mail... it's a lot faster than sending letters through the mail. If that's okay with you. You don't have an e-mail though if I remember correctly... That's fine, don't bother making one if you don't want to. I'm not sure what else to say... Do you like your new place? How is the weather in America? ... Have you... made any new friends? I guess that's all I have to say... I can't wait for your reply. _

_Ja ne,_

_Ino. _

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"Lee, could you wait here please? I'm going to go talk to Naruto." Sakura said as she got up from her seat during lunch, and walked to the blonde's table where Kiba and Hinata were sitting with him.

"Hi." she greeted as she took the empty chair next to Naruto where Sasuke usually sat.

"Afternoon Sakura-chan." Naruto greeted as he nommed on his lunch.

"So... what happened between you and Sasuke?"

"Aha, Sakura-chan, always straight to the point." Naruto laughed.

"Did you tell Sasuke about how you feel?" she questioned and Naruto visibly deflated.

"I told you already, I don't know how I feel about him."

Sakura only tsk'd, "You shouldn't lie Naruto. that's a bad trait.

Naruto huffed and turned his head away in favor of staring at his feet. "I don't think he likes me like I like him."

"... You'll never know unless you talk to him. He likes you Naruto, that much is obvious, and maybe he feels the same way you do... Did you ever think that Sasuke is afraid of rejection to?" Naruto frowned, "But Sasuke is so strong. He is always bossing me around and he seems so confident..."

Taking Naruto's hand in hers, Sakura smiled at him softly, "That's because he is used to being that way... But I've been going to the same school as him since elementary. Ino used to have a crush on him and we'd follow him around... So I know that Sasuke has trouble showing his emotions, and I know that he doesn't cope well with new things. Sasuke's never felt for someone the way he feels for you... It's new to him and he doesn't know what will happen... And I know Naruto, that he feels very deeply for you... He is just scared of rejection, and his Uchiha pride won't let him admit it."

"Sakura..." Naruto breathed, staring at the smiling pinkette with sparkling eyes, "... I... thank you."

**X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X~X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X~X**x**X**SA**SU**NA**RUX**x**X**

** That was quick, ne? Short though… I need to clean my room.**


	14. Rivalry

**So yeah, it's Thursday… Do you guys love me again?**

***Edit: My modem decided to commit suicide and now I have no internet, so I can't post this. The modem is a hundred dollars, and it will be awhile before I have that kind've money to spend willy nilly.**

****Edit: Got my modem. Unfortunately, I haven't finished writing this chapter… Yeah, I probably should've worked on that during my interweb-less days.**

*****Edit: Yay, yay! The chapter's finally here! Woo, yeah! … Yes, it is horribly late, but I hoped my false enthusiasm would help make things better. No? Damn.**

******Edit: Heh heh. It's not Thursday anymore.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, would I seriously be sitting here writing fanfictions? No, if I owned Naruto… the rating would change to M and there would be lots of SasuNaru goodness! Animators get to work! … No?**

**~Chapter Fourteen~**

**Rivalry**

The days got chillier as the months passed. August blew by in a warm daze, and September vanished in a flurry of leaves. Now, it was October Second (Friday) and Naruto was giddy with excitement.

The past could of months had been fairly decent, minus the cold air between him and Sasuke. It wasn't that they were ignoring each other, they just weren't being friendly.

Sometimes, when Naruto got overly excited about something, he couldn't help but chatter at Sasuke, and then – realizing his mistake, would clam up.

Sakura, on more than one occasion, had called Naruto an idiot and scolded him on his behavior. Telling him to at least try be friends with Sasuke again.

"We tried that already." Naruto would reply, "It won't work, we can't."

But Sakura had said they had to be friends first in order to become something more. She claimed that the reason things hadn't worked out the first time, was because she and Naruto had been dating.

He supposed that could be it, but every time he tried to talk to Sasuke about the subject, his face burned and he found himself at a loss for words.

But that aside, Naruto was very happy. His birthday was in eight days, eight days! He was so excited; he was practically vibrating in happiness. He'd made a point of telling everyone about it, and even joked with Tenten because his birthday was ten, ten.

What made the whole thing even better though, was that his birthday was on a Saturday, now he could celebrate his birthday the day of instead of waiting til the weekend.

Hinata had taken the liberty to hold a birthday party for the ecstatic boy, and all in all – life was good.

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For Sasuke, things seemed to be looking up as well. It all started when Sakura – who is no longer 'pinkette-from-hell' - approached him in the library.

At first, he had been wary, for the longest time she had been his rival for Naruto's love, but as she explained the situation to him, she became a great ally.

"Naruto and I broke up." She had informed and he wondered if maybe the girl found about what he and Naruto had done.

"It was a mutual agreement. We broke up three days after the Summer Festival."

That had been the same day he and Naruto had gotten… intimate. They were together all night, so the couple must have split up in the morning, before the incident – Sasuke had deduced.

"_Why are you telling me this?" Sasuke asked and Sakura chuckled nervously before sitting down._

"_I know you like Naruto as more than a friend." She started and Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, "Don't deny it, I know you do. And for the record, Naruto – he likes you too."_

"_I know he does." He replied, shocking the pinkette._

"_You do?" he nodded, "Well, then why don't you tell him how you feel?"_

"… _Because he ran away… and I don't think he realizes how he feels about me… If I tell him before he comes to terms with his feelings, he'll reject me… But at the same time, he might not ever realize, and that… it scares me."_

"… _Sa-Sasuke… I… I can help you."_

"_And why would you want to help me?" Sasuke snapped._

_Sakura only smiled, "Because Naruto's an idiot and there's no helping him."_

Ever since then, he and the girl had been talking now and then, and they decided that the next best step would be for Sasuke to show up at Naruto's birthday party.

Then, he could regain their friendship so he could start working on making them so much more.

All that was left, was finding Naruto the perfect birthday present – something the boy would love.

If he only knew where to start…

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"H-hi Naruto-kun." Hinata greeted, smiling warmly at the boy.

"Hiya Hinata-chan!" Naruto replied. His eyes drifted to the sheet of paper in her hands, "What's that?"

"O-oh! I was going to… ask you who you wanted to come to y-your party…"

"Umm… everyone of our friends?" he questioned and Hinata giggled, "Well, obviously. You, me, Sakura, Tenten, Neji, Ino, Chouji, Gaara, Lee, Kiba, and I think that's it."

"Okay then, I'll let Sakura-san know."

"Hey Naruto, what about me?" Sai cut into the conversation, and the pair turned to look at the pale boy.

"I… well, it's just supposed to be for close friends of mine." Naruto mumbled. It's not that he didn't like Sai, but the boy creeped him out a bit. He wasn't quite sure if he felt comfortable with having Sai there…

"But I thought we were close friends Naru-chan." And Naruto would've felt bad if the sentence hadn't been so emotionlessly.

"S-Sai-kun, if you don't mind me interrupting… the pa-party is being held at my house, and I'm only allowed a… umm… limited amo-amount of people." Hinata tried, but the boy seemed dead set on going… Uneasily, the two agreed to let Sai attend the party.

The boy was Naruto's friend after all… just not a really close one; Naruto hoped everything would be alright.

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"Ne Chouji, d'you think Shikamaru is busy with school work?" Ino asked as she wrote down the notes from the board.

"Mmmh, probably." He replied in between bites of barbeque chips. He was out of his slump now. He'd gotten used to life without Shikamaru, but that didn't mean he didn't miss him. He figured the Nara wouldn't want him to mope, so he stopped and got on with his life.

Ino took a little while longer to get used to things. She had just confessed to the boy right before he left, so it was only natural.

"Why?" Chouji questioned the blonde.

"Oh, no reason," she lied, "It is just that he is so lazy, I can't picture him doing work, much less work in another language."

Truthfully, the reason she asked was because she had been sending letters to Shikamaru once a week now for months, but he has yet to reply to a single one. At first she thought that maybe she had the wrong address, but her mother confirmed with Shikamaru's dad that that was the right address.

'Maybe he's just busy.' She tried convincing herself, but it was no use. She couldn't understand why he would ignore her, all she knew was that it hurt.

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Sasuke's good mood was officially gone. It was as he watched Sai guilt Naruto into inviting him to his birthday party, that Sasuke realized he hated the boy.

He never really like him, in fact, he didn't even pay him a second glance. But now, as he watched, he could see the sexual appeal Sai was oozing, and he noticed how the boy would rest his hand on Naruto's shoulder, or run his hand down the blonde's back. It infuriated Sasuke, how dare Sai touch Naruto?

Why hadn't he noticed it before? It was so obvious… and revolting.

Naruto looked slightly uncomfortable, but it didn't seem like he realized Sai's intentions.

What made it worse was he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't tell Naruto, because the blonde wouldn't listen to him…

'Maybe,' Sasuke wondered, 'maybe I _can_ do something about it.'

He wouldn't be able to warn Naruto, but he could definitely confront Sai.

'Yes' Sasuke thought evilly, he could definitely do that.

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When class was over, Sasuke lingered behind, packing his things slowly. He knew Sai always left last (Kakashi was already long gone, he had bolted out of the room as soon as the bell rung) and he knew this would be the perfect opportunity to talk to Sai.

"Sai." He greeted, though it wasn't much of a greeting because it sounded more like your-an-annoying-ass-bastard-and-I-hate-you. Not much of a greeting, no.

"Ah Sasuke-kun, good to see you." Sai greeted with false enthusiasm, and an even faker smile, "What brings you here?"

"Cut the crap," Sasuke snapped, "I'm on to you, and you better leave Naruto alone."

Sai smirked, laughing to himself slightly, "Oh? This coming from the guy that Naruto won't even speak to, let alone look at. Tell me Sasuke-kun, did he invite you to his birthday party next weekend?"

Sasuke scowled, "He didn't invite you either. You practically invited yourself. I saw how uncomfortable he looked around you."

"Like he looks any more uncomfortable with me than he does with you!"

Sasuke snarled, "That's because he's nervous around me, not repulsed like he is with you!"

Sai only chuckled once more, "Ne ne Sasuke-kun, what exactly happened to cause such a tense atmosphere around you two?"

Sasuke kept his mouth shut.

"What, could you not please him good enough? Pre-mature ejaculation Sas-_UKE_? I bet I could please Naru-chan better than you could. I'd have him writhing beneath me, begging for more, pleading for me to go harder and fas-"

"Shut up!" Sasuke demanded, but Sai just kept on talking, "I said shut up!"

And then, sick of listening to Sai's lewd comments and sick innuendos, he shut the pale freak up himself – by smashing his fist into Sai's face.

The desk clattered as Sai fell backwards into them and onto the ground, clutching his now bleeding nose.

"Oww, what the fuck?" Sai demanded, only to gasp in pain when Sasuke slammed his foot into his now aching stomach.

"Don't. Talk. About. Naruto. That. Way!" each word was punctuated by a swift kick to the gut. Breathing heavily, Sasuke grabbed his back pack, swung it over his shoulder, and stormed out of the classroom; leaving Sai curled on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain.

'Damn,' he thought, 'I didn't think Uchiha had it in him.'

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When school started again Monday, everyone wondered why the left side of Sai's face was covered in an ugly purple bruise. And when asked why he wasn't wearing his usual belly shirt, he eagerly explained that he had bruises there too.

The situation was made all the more curious when Sasuke was called to the office by an angry Tsunade.

"Sai," Naruto questioned after Sasuke had left, "what happened?"

The boy explained that for no reason Sasuke had jumped him after class, calling him crude names like 'fag' and porch monkey prick'.

Naruto hadn't believed him, there was no way Sasuke would ever do something like that. But when Sasuke came back to class and packed his things up angrily, Naruto had his doubts.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi-sensei asked, mildly concerned.

"I've been suspended." Sasuke had sneered and nobody missed the deadly glare he shot at Sai.

After Sasuke left, slamming the door harshly behind him, the class broke into an uproar.

'Sasuke? Perfect Uchiha Sasuke – suspended? What had the Uchiha done? Did he really do what Sai claimed? And if he did, why?'

Those were the questions circulating through the classroom, every student demanding an answer. And no one, not even Kakashi had an answer.

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Thankfully, Sasuke had only been suspended for the week, so he would be able to return Monday. Naruto, though he didn't voice it, was grateful. He had been worried the Uchiha had been suspended the rest of the year.

"I have to talk to him." Naruto mumbled to himself. He wanted to know Sasuke's side of the story because he just couldn't trust Sai's.

Naruto questioned him before class started.

"Sasuke." Naruto whispered, leaning towards the now shocked Uchiha.

Was Naruto seriously talking to him? He almost – despite himself pinched his arm.

"… Hn?"

"About Sai…did you- I mean, that is, did you jump him after class?"

Sasuke scowled, so that's the rumor Sai was spreading.

"He started it."

"But… your not hurt any." Reaching gingerly for Sasuke's hand, only to hesitate and stop himself.

"He provoked me… He said some things."

Naruto frowned, glancing sideways at Sai who was blatantly staring at him. "What kind've things?"

The Uchiha only hn'd and looked the other way, resting his chin in his interlaced hands.

That was the end of the conversation.

His previous excitement about his birthday was slowly depleting. He was worried about Sasuke, and he desperately wanted to know what Sai could have said that would make the Uchiha so upset.

It didn't help that neither boy would tell him either.

'If Sasuke and I were still… close.' Naruto thought sadly, 'I bet he would have told me.'

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Sasuke hated malls – they were too crowded, too loud, and too packed full of stalker-ish girls.

But it was a sacrifice he was willing to make – to walk through the mall, that is – in order to find Naruto the perfect gift.

Unfortunately, hours of searching resulted in nothing but a pack of girls following him everywhere.

Naruto's birthday party would be tomorrow, and he had nothing for the boy, not even a card.

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The party would take place in Hinata's game room. She and Sakura had already done the decorations – orange and blue streamers, balloons, and plenty of other strategically placed décor.

The whole room was beautiful, and anyone could tell that the girls were anything from amateur decorators. There was a large television screen at the back of the room, a multitude of gaming systems all lined up along the wall. An infinite amount of games littered the walls, in order by game system, genre, and alphabetical order.

In the middle of the room was a large coffee table that eight people could easily fit around the table and enjoy a meal with elbow room. There was a three-seater couch, two love seats, and a single-seater, along with plenty of thick, decorative pillows that easily offered the same comfort as one of the couch cushions.

On the right side of the room were five computers, all with the latest online/computer games already installed.

"Alright," Hinata stated, looking around the room at all the guests before glancing at her checklist, "Everyone is here but Naruto."

Sakura frowned, 'And Sasuke.'

"Fox-face ain't here yet?" Kiba asked – take the Inuzuka to not realize his best friend/ birthday boy had yet to arrive – joining Hinata at her side as he threw an arm around the now blushing girl's shoulders, ignoring a glaring Neji in the corner.

"No… I-I wonder why."

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"Sasuke!" Naruto whined, his hand curling in the bed sheet, gripping the fabric a little tighter, "Please, please, please!"

"Come on," he begged, "I need you-"

"Naruto?" Iruka called through the door, silencing the blonde.

"Yeah Iruka?"

"We're already late, you need to hurry getting ready so I can take you to your party."

Naruto frowned as he stared at his clothes laying haphazardly on his dresser, "Okay, I'm almost done."

"Alright, I'll be in the car."

Naruto turned back to his phone, "Heh… just answer the phone teme and call me back."

For the past forty-five minutes, Naruto had been trying to get a-hold of the Uchiha. He had decided, that if Sai was going to his birthday party, then Sasuke should too – despite their awkward-ness.

Unfortunately, Sasuke wasn't answering his phone.

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Sasuke felt like an idiot as he walked to Naruto's party. He lived fairly close to the Hyuuga, so he had just decided to walk despite how cold it was outside.

But that wasn't why he felt like an idiot. He felt like an idiot because of the present he had gotten for Naruto. Which was nothing – just an empty, intricately wrapped, box. He tried convincing himself that Naruto would be happy with his gift, the blonde likes shiny, pretty things after all. He doubted though, that the gift would get him the reaction he wanted.

"Mew?"

Sasuke paused mid-step and looked down at the small red kitten at his feet. Cautiously, he stepped back a bit, for one more step and he would have stepped on the small animal.

"A… neko?" he questioned aloud, and it mew'd once more before stepping forward and nuzzling his leg.

"No, I don't have any food." Sasuke said, shaking the pawing kitten from his ankle, but the kitten didn't seem to care, as it only nuzzled harder and began to knead the Uchiha's shoe.

It was kind of cute though… and it didn't seem to have an owner, and it was awfully cold out, and the kitten was hungry after all… maybe he could keep it.

"I'll have to take you home first." Sasuke thought aloud, "I'm already late too…"

He quickly looked around – checking that there was not some random person looking for the kitten – before picking it up and holding it to his chest.

"You feel pretty plump." Sasuke teased as he checked the kitten for any injuries. There were none. It's fur was clean too, though that was probably from the constant showers that came with October weather.

It mewled happily, playfully batting at Sasuke's jacket and effectively dampening the fabric with its wet paw.

"I'll give you a bath anyway," Sasuke mused, "… well, after Naruto's party anyway."

The kitten tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Nyaa~?"

The Uchiha was just about to explain himself when he realized the kitten wasn't questioning him, but rather the present tucked beneath his arm. It batted at the orange fabric ribbon.

"That's not yours." Sasuke scolded when its claw got caught in the ribbon. Before Sasuke could hold the kitty away at arm's length, the delicate ribbon tore.

Sasuke's face burned red, "No! You stupid cat, that was supposed to be for Naruto!"

But it didn't seem the cat minded the scolding, as it continued to play with the fabric.

"… Fine." Sasuke huffed, "You can have it."

He grabbed the present from beneath his arm, and took the ribbon off before setting the box aside.

The kitten mewled happily as Sasuke tied the ribbon in a bow around its neck.

"It looks cute on you."

"Sa-Sasuke? Is that you."

The smile that had been worming onto Sasuke's face, quickly diminished at the voice. Frightened, that the intruder would see their present abandoned on the ground, Sasuke quickly whirled around.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?"

The blonde chuckled nervously as he shoved his cellphone in his pocket.

"Well Iruka dropped me off at Hinata's but I decided to go for a walk before I joined everybody."

Sasuke smiled, "That's like you dobe, to be late to your own bir-"

"-Mew!"

All eyes were drawn to the squirming kitten in Sasuke's arms, but more importantly, the orange bow tied around its neck along with a tag that read, 'To: Naruto From: Sasuke'

'Crap,' Sasuke cursed, 'I forgot about that.'

"You – you got me a kitten?"

Sasuke was just about to deny it – explain the situation, when suddenly Naruto was launching into his arms, and gently taking the kitten.

"It's so cute!" he squealed, not bothering to mention that this kitten looked just like his old cat Kyuubi.

"Ah, yes… I wasn't sure if it would be alright."

"Sasuke… Would you like to come with me to my party?"

The Uchiha almost squealed in delight, but instead chose to smile (it was borderline creepy, the smile was, but Naruto could ignore it) and nod his head enthusiastically.

"Good. We'll take Kyu-kun here and keep her in Hinata-chan's room until the party ends."

"… Will that be alright? I mean, about me coming to your party?"

"Sasuke… I didn't invite you just now because of Kyu-kun. I was planning on inviting you already, but I haven't been able to get a hold of you."

Sasuke's hand drifted to his pocket, "My cellphone's off." He mumbled to himself, before what Naruto had just said, clicked.

Naruto was going to invite him anyway… It seems they hadn't drifted as far apart as Sasuke had thought. But there was still the question-

"-Why?"

Naruto flushed, absently scratching Kyu-kun, "I… well I figured that if… um… Sai could come, then you – who is closer to me – should be able to come as well."

"Naruto…" Sasuke breathed, absently stepping forward, before stopping himself and shaking his head.

For a brief, dangerous moment, he had thought about taking Naruto into his arms and kissing him.

Instead, he grabbed his arm, as if holding himself back, and smiling a genuine and non-creepy smile.

"Ha! You know me so well Sasuke! I don't think anyone else would have thought about getting me a kitten!" Naruto practically squealed, before grabbing Sasuke's wrist and pulling the Uchiha along behind him.

"To Hinata's house!"

Sasuke's smile grew, and he didn't find it annoying that with each step he took, he was splashing the bottom of his jeans with rain water from the scattered showers from earlier that morning. And the tight grip Naruto had around his wrist was pleasant, and he found himself admiring the blonde locks that caressed Naruto's neck, before letting his eyes run down his back, and then fall to the more exciting view of the boy's ass in those skinny jeans.

"We're here teme~!" Naruto sing-songed as he released Sasuke's captive wrist and pulled away, only for the Uchiha to lurch forward and grab Naruto's hand, intertwining their fingers.

"-Sasuke?"

"Let's stay like this… please?" Though his voice was calm, his eyes were pleading, and Naruto found himself unable to resist.

"Yeah… okay…" Naruto whispered, strangely breath-less. Perhaps it was because he'd never seen Sasuke so pleading and desperate? Well… other than that time in the Uchiha's bed.

"Naruto." Sasuke whispered, his eyes drifting shut as he leaned forward.

Naruto was frozen stiff, eyes wide as Sasuke closed in on him. He wondered if he should stop Sasuke or just let him… before he could decide however, he found his eyes closing as well. And absently, he leaned forward. The two boys paused, with their lips milliliters apart, almost unsure, before closing the gap and getting a mouthful of kitty fur.

They both jerked back and looked at Kyu-kun who was behaving like he hadn't just interrupted a moment between them.

Sasuke scowled, Naruto giggled, and Hinata opened her front door, scaring the two teens.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san! I was wondering where you two were." Hinata greeted, paying no mind to how close they were to each other, and the red the dusted both of their faces.

"Yeah, sorry… But let's get this party started now that I'm here!" Naruto paused, "… Oh If… if it's not too much to ask… is there some place I can keep Kyu-kun?" Naruto questioned, motioning to the kitty in his hands.

Walking into Hinata's living room, Naruto was glomped by half the people in the room.

"Hey Naruto my man!" Kiba exclaimed, "What took you so long?" As a friendly gesture, he slung his arm around Naruto's shoulder, and embraced him in his signature 'guy hug'.

Sasuke ignored the friendly display of affection – he knew Kiba was no threat – in favor of looking for a certain teen.

Sai was curled up in a loveseat, his hand cradling a drink that was probably alcoholic. All other seat cushions were filled and decorative pillows were scattered hazard-ly around the coffee table as seats. The second, empty love seat – Sasuke assumed – was Hinata's and Kiba's. Meaning either he or Naruto would have to sit next to Sai. Three guesses as to which of the two teens Sai wanted to sit next to.

Hinata seemed to notice where Sasuke was looking and paled. She didn't want Naruto to have to sit with Sai, but she couldn't risk Sasuke sitting there, lest another fight break out between the two.

Sakura – as bright as ever, also seemed to notice the dilemma – and got up from her single seat in favor of sitting on the floor next to Lee who kindly gave her his cushion.

Pleased, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled him to Sakura's recently vacated seat.

"Teme!" Naruto pouted, "We both can't sit here!"

But it seemed Sasuke wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, as he just sat down and pulled Naruto down onto the arm of the chair, but still slightly in the seat. The blonde flushed, but didn't pull away from Sasuke's protective embrace. Sasuke 1, Sai 0.

First things first – they played games. The games consisted of 'I have never' and other such games.

"Alright!" Ino stated as she held up five of her fingers, "I have never cheated on a test." Instantly, Kiba, Naruto, and Chouji dropped a finger. Next came Sakura, who stuck with "I have never gotten an F." Once again, Kiba and Chouji dropped a finger with the exception of Naruto and the addition of Ino who playfully jabbed Sakura in the side. Next, it was Neji's turn, who knocked a finger from everyone but Sasuke, Hinata, and Sai by saying "I have never gotten a B."

It was after several innocent rounds like that, Kiba got upset and demanded that they move on to the more 'dirty' I have nevers. Reluctantly, everyone agreed and it was Gaara's turn once more. Everyone stared at him with bated breath, wondering what dirty things he has and hasn't done.

"I have never… killed more than one person." That wasn't what the Inuzuka had been hoping for, but he didn't dare voice it, because he – like all the others – hadn't missed the 'more than one' part of Gaara's answer.

Sai, the awkward boy he was, was quick to answer with "I have never kissed anyone." (Which was an obvious lie, but no one else knew of the fib.) Everyone except Hinata and Gaara dropped a finger. The blush Naruto and the Uchiha shared, made Sai scowl and regret choosing such an answer.

Once again, the game went on like this til almost everyone was out. Hinata – as innocent as ever- won, with Gaara getting second, and Lee third place. Not that it mattered, but Tenten insisted that she got fourth place.

And then the party advanced to cake and presents.

Naruto was giddy with excitement, bouncing up and down in his seat. For a small, dirty filled moment, Sasuke wished he had made Naruto sit on his lap, so he could have the boy bounce on him like that. He quickly shook the thought from his mind. Things were finally falling back into place with Naruto and he didn't want to risk ruining everything again. And, he could feel the arousal pouring off Sai for his blonde, and that put a damper on his mood.

Another thing that killed his mood was the great presents that everybody had gotten Naruto. The blonde seemed to love everyone's gift, even Sai's which was only a gift card to Ichiraku's ramen stand.

"Where's your gift?" Sai sneered, smirking at the Uchiha, when he noticed Sasuke had yet to present Naruto with a gift.

Sasuke was about to yell at his rival, when Naruto spoke up, "Sasuke already gave me his gift!"

Sai's smirk dropped, and it was Sasuke's turn to smirk.

"Oh? And what did you get him?" Everyone else was eager to know as well.

"I-"

"-Sasuke got me a kitten!"" Naruto practically squealed, "He looks just like my old kitty!"

"Uwah~ NO way!" Ino exclaimed, and Sasuke looked at Sai, his face smug as Naruto got up to retrieve Kyuu-kun from the bathroom. Sasuke 2, Sai 0.

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"He still needs all of his shots and vaccinations, but that's also part of your gift…" Sasuke explained as he and Naruto stood shivering on Hinata's front porch, "He has an appointment sometime next week." Sasuke made a mental note to call the vet tomorrow, and schedule an appointment for next week.

"Thank you Sasuke…" Naruto mumbled, his face red in embarrassment – Sasuke was too kind.

Currently, they were waiting for Iruka to arrive to pick up Naruto. Everyone else had already left, and now it was only them. Hinata had offered to let them wait inside, but the two boys declined in favor of playing with Kyuu-kun outside.

An awkward silence fell over the two boys, and Naruto realized that despite how cold it was outside, his hands were sticking to Kyuubi's fur, from nervous sweating. Sasuke too, was in the same predicament, as he was frequently wringing his hands, and then discreetly rubbing them on his jeans.

"I'm… glad were friends again."

"Ah, yeah… me too."

Naruto's lip quivered, debating whether or not he should say more. Distantly, he could see the headlights of car, and he knew it had to be Iruka.

Naruto opened his mouth, on the verge of blurting, "I'm sorry I left that night." But, he opted not to.

"Thanks again Sasuke…" Naruto murmured as he gathered up his bags of presents and hoisted Kyuubi onto his shoulder. Awkwardly, arms full, Naruto half hugged Sasuke before bouncing off to Iruka's car, who had just pulled up, "Bye Sasuke!" he called as he slipped into the car, shutting the car door after him.

"Bye… Naruto." Sasuke murmured, half waving as he watched Naruto pull away, and disappear into the night, before stuffing his hands into his pockets, and walking home.

**Well, this chapter didn't go as planned. Wasn't as much tension between Sai and Sasuke as I had planned on. This chapter was called rivalry, because I had planned on them taking shots at each other's pride constantly. Alas, I was too lazy, and I rushed this chapter. A shame for how long I made you all wait. Next chapter will be up Halloween night, because it's a Halloween special! Look forward to it!**


	15. A Halloween Special

**So yeah, Halloween was closer than I anticipated. Can anyone say oops?**

**EDIT* Is it too late to use the excuse that I was hung over from candy intake? No? Damn. Anyway, I have great news for you guys! I am on Christmas break, which means I have more time to write. AND, I have chapter summaries from chapter seventeen to chapter twenty-two, which if all goes according to plan, is the last chapter. Hear that? Only like six chapters, till Special Class is complete! It's exciting, yet so sad.**

**~Chapter Sixteen~**

**-A Halloween Special-**

Floorboards creaked as Naruto hesitantly walked through the hallway, light dancing along the walls, courtesy of the flashlight gripped in his shaking hands.

'Where did he go?' he thought nervously, peering over his shoulder hesitantly, only to be greeted by impending darkness. A shiver ran up his spine, and he quickly looked forward, before squeezing his eyes shut.

"I can't do this." He whispered aloud, gripping his blonde locks and tugging them.

He was afraid and alone, and he just wanted to leave this place.

"Stay here… forever."

The knuckle grip he had on his hair loosened and his hands slowly fell to his side, along with his flashlight that clattered to the floor and then flickered out.

He stood motionless, listening, hoping that the whisper he had just heard was a figment of his imagination.

There was nothing but silence, and then the creak of floorboards, and then footsteps.

Thud, thud, thud.

Naruto's spine tingled. Footsteps that were getting closer.

He was frozen in fear, unable to run, even if he had the sense enough to.

"Naruto?"

The blonde released a breath of air he hadn't known he had been holding.

"Sasuke-" he exclaimed, turning swiftly on his heel, "Thank goo-AAH!"

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"What are you doing tonight? Sasuke questioned as he came up behind Naruto, startling the poor boy, who seemed to be extra jumpy today.

"Sa-Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, looking up at the smirking Uchiha, "You scared me!"

Sasuke frowned, "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, placing a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder and squeezing gently, and then lingering a bit longer than to be considered just a friendly gesture – not that Naruto seemed to notice – before letting go.

"Ah, I'm fine… Just a little jumpy. Really, what with all the rumors floating around recently.

"… Rumors?" Sasuke questioned, mildly confused.

"You know the stories. The stories going around about the strange sounds and sightings that are occurring."

"You're kidding. You don't seriously believe those stories do you?" Sasuke asked incredulously, but the serious look on Naruto's said otherwise.

"Of course I believe them!" Naruto defended, "They're true!"

Recently, stories had been floating around campus about odd occurrences. For instance, in B hall of the third floor, someone had reported that they heard footsteps following behind them, but every time they glanced over their shoulder, nobody was there.

"There is this story," Naruto began, clutching Sasuke's arm in fear, "about this girl, a student here. She was feeling sick, and faint, so she went to Shizune's office to lie down. She slept half the day, and when she woke up, the once white bed sheets, were now stained crimson, stained with blood!"

'That's not even scary' Sasuke thought incredulously, but being the Uchiha he is, he decided to play along, "What happened when she saw the blood?"

Naruto shook his head solemnly, "I haven't the slightest clue."

Sasuke smirked.

"I know what happened," Sasuke whispered, biting back a chuckle at Naruto's impossibly wide eyes. "She freaked out when she saw the blood, like any sane person would, and realized to her horror, that while she was sleeping…"

"Go on!" Naruto pleaded, though the frightened look contradicted his eagerness.

"She realized…" Sasuke paused for dramatic effect, "That… she had started her period and hadn't put a pad on that morning!"

Naruto jerked away, "Sasuke! That's gross!"

The Uchiha only chuckled as his beloved blonde puffed his cheeks out and crossed his arms.

"I'm mad at you." He mumbled childishly before looking away from Sasuke, who had by now doubled over in laughter – despite himself.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Sasuke apologized when he calmed down, wiping away a stray tear, "You're just too cute."

Naruto flushed.

"But really, what are you doing tonight?" Sasuke questioned, back on subject.

"Oh… umm, I was probably going to go trick or treating with Kiba!"

Of course Naruto would be doing something so childish. He should have known.

"May I come with?" Sasuke asked.

"Really? You want to? I thought about inviting you, but I figured you wouldn't want to."

"If it's with you, I'd do anything." Sasuke stated seriously, making Naruto's face burn red once more.

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Personally, Sasuke wished Naruto would be dressing up in something… skimpy. But despite how boisterous and outgoing the blonde was, Sasuke doubted the boy would even dress up at all.

Which was unfortunate. Sasuke himself sported the usual – converse, jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweater to keep warm. There was no point in dressing up, he would be playing the role of the adult that made sure the children weren't too rambunctious and stayed safe.

He was currently waiting outside the school gate, leaning against the wall, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Naruto, Kiba, and whoever else decided to tag along, would all probably be showing up soon.

'It's a bit chilly.' He thought, rubbing his arms to keep warm, 'And it's only going to get colder.'

Once again, his hope for Naruto to be wearing something skimpy surfaced to the front of his mind. If Naruto got cold, they could hold each other for warmth.

Sasuke shook his head, 'Those are bad thoughts.' He scolded himself, but that didn't mean he thought of Naruto in an inappropriate way. Actually, he thought of Naruto perversely quite often. Take last night for instance –

"… _ah…" muffled pants filled the room as Sasuke stroked himself in bed. He was being fairly quiet, minus the squelching sound that resulted from his hands fast pace, along with his soft, breathy pants._

_Touching himself like this had become a regular occurrence since Naruto's birthday party a few weeks ago. It was wrong, he knew, but he couldn't help it – Naruto got him, Naruto made him… so… hot and aroused._

"_Nnn… Naruto." He panted, working his hand faster and faster as he got closer to completion._

_His hands felt freezing despite all the friction, because he could only imagine how hot and tight Naruto would be if they were to… the fact of that matter is, that his hand just wasn't enough anymore, wasn't as good as it used to be._

_To be buried balls deep inside Naruto, "ah…" just the thought had him teetering over the edge. With a throaty groan, Sasuke released himself into his hand, the slightest tinge of pink dusting his cheekbones._

"Yoohoo~ Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed as he waved his hand infront of the dazed Uchiha's face.

"What?" Sasuke snapped with a shake of his head before realizing it was Naruto who had broken his train of thought.

"Ah, hello." He greeted, dismissing the hurt look that had fluttered across Naruto's face, at Sasuke's harsh 'what'.

"Did I surprise you?" Naruto asked with a flash of teeth and a tilt of his head that had internal Sasuke blushing.

"Ah… no… Are we ready to go?" Sasuke questioned, peering over Naruto's shoulder to take in the crowd of people.

'It seems everyone came.' Sasuke thought distastefully, 'so much for this being special'

"Yeah, we're gonna go trick or treating, and then Kiba wants to go to the haunted house, but I'm not sure I want to go."

Sasuke smirked. Haunted houses are dark and creepy, Naruto's easily scared… he had a feeling the haunted house would be fun.

"Don't worry," Sasuke said, "The haunted houses here aren't that scary, and we'll all together so it should be fine."

The blonde didn't look very convinced, but he agreed to go anyway.

"Putting that aside!" Naruto declared, "Let's get some candy!"

It was as Naruto was running away, and throwing himself on Kiba that Sasuke realized what Naruto was wearing.

'How disappointing.' He thought sadly, his eyes scanning the hideous orange jumpsuit Naruto donned. He really was hoping Naruto would have worn something skimpy.

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"Is it me, or is this corridor getting smaller and smaller?" Sasuke grunted as he crouched through a doorway, Naruto squished into his side.

"Yeah… it's… colder too." Naruto replied and Sasuke nodded, briefly wondering if perhaps this hall led outside.

Suddenly, the short and small aspects of the hall let up, and Sasuke found that he could stand up straight, and Naruto was no longer pressed to his side. A shame.

"That's a relief." Sasuke commented, before noticing how dark it was, "Hey. Why'd you turn your flashlight off?"

Only howling wind greeted him.

"…Naruto?" Sasuke called out tentatively, taking in his surroundings as best he could, "Naruto?"

Inwardly frantic, he dug his cell phone from his pocket, and used the light from it to look around. But all there was was an empty hallway. No doors, no other halls. Just the short, long winding corridor Naruto and he had emerged from.

'Maybe he went ahead.' Sasuke thought, trying not to panic.

He hurriedly shoved his cell in his pocket, and ran forward through the hall. Each step, followed by a coldness that seemed to be creeping up on him, til he found himself bursting though double doors at the end of the hall.

"Naruto!" he exclaimed, but the courtyard he had just entered was empty. Nothing but dead plants and six identical doors greeted him.

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A handful of candy later and a hyperactive Naruto later, Sasuke was almost – almost – regretting tagging along with the group of friends. Now though, they were finished with the trick or treating – which to Sasuke was a bit ironic. The children bounced from one house to another, though only the one with the porch light on. They were like moths, attracted to the light. It was a bit silly and gave him a mental image of Kiba repeatedly running into a light bulb.

Putting that aside, the moths to a flame part of the night was over, and they were now on their way to the haunted house.

Naruto's nervous-ness was apparent as it had him gobbling down candy faster than he normally would devour the treats. And Sasuke – being the responsible adult – snatched the candy away from the boy, and shoved a lollipop into the blonde's mouth and told him to 'savor it'. Naruto in turn, threw himself at the Uchiha, trying to steal his sweets back, only to fail terribly. He was just about to pull away, already defeated, when the haunted house came into view, and he glued himself to the Uchiha's side.

Sasuke would be a liar if he said he hadn't planned for this all along.

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The two guys working the haunted house, a peppy blonde and silent red-head, kindly informed them, well, more like advised – that each group consist of two. So the group broke into pairs consisting of Hinata and Kiba, Sasuke and Naruto, Chouji and Ino, Sakura and Lee, Neji and Tenten, and Gaara chose to go alone.

"Don't worry Hinata!" Kiba exclaimed loudly as they entered the creepy manor, "I'll protec—aaahhh!" a loud blood curdling – and not at all manly – scream tore through the brunette's throat, and Hinata rushed up to the pale boy, placing a dainty hand on his shoulder.

"Relax Kiba," she soothed, "It was only the floorboard creaking."

"See?" to demonstrate, she stepped forward with her right foot, producing a not-at-all scary creak.

"O-oh." Kiba mumbled, and Hinata smiled sweetly, before waving goodbye to the others, and leading a shaky Kiba down a random hallway.

The display had Tenten doubled over in laughter. To think, sweet little Hinata would be boisterous Kiba's moral support.

"Come on Neji." Tenten said once her laughter had subsided, "Let's go."

And with that, the two left down another hall, side by side.

"Alright!" Ino exclaimed as she climbed onto Chouji's back, "If you get us out of here Chouji, I'll buy you barbeque!"

There was a solid three seconds of silence, before Ino was bracing herself, and Chouji was booking it forward and into the darkness.

"How youthful!" Lee exclaimed.

"Let us race through this strategic test of cunning and skill! Come Sakura-chan! Climb onto my back!" he all but yelled, motioning for said girl, who only brought her hand to her mouth and chuckled nervously.

"Ah… no thanks, we can just wa-"

"Sakura-chan! There's no time to waste." Lee interrupted before grabbing the pinkette's wrist and dragging her down a hallway.

"We should just stay here." Naruto suggested weakly. And Sasuke would have agreed, in favor of molesting Naruto, if it wasn't for Gaara, who was strolling around the large entrance room, running his fingers along old trinkets and admiring the many paintings that adorned the wall.

Not to mention, Naruto probably wouldn't appreciate being molested. Besides, the Uchiha had a plan that he needed to enact. He knew a scared Naruto would latch onto him, an excuse to touch the blonde, and Naruto couldn't very well be frightened if they stayed here.

"It's just an empty house dobe, let's go." Sasuke said, pulling a reluctant blonde along.

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"A-ah…" Naruto moaned, his face flushed red, and hair sticking to his face. Tan fingers curled in bed sheets, and thighs quivered in a desperate attempt to not lose his mind from the pleasure being given to him.

To silence the orchestra of mewls and groans, Naruto brought his curled pointer finger up to his lips and bit on the appendage.

But his captor – it seemed – didn't appreciate such a gesture and grabbed the blonde's wrist, and pulled his hands up to his lips to press a tender kiss to Naruto's palm.

"Is it good?"

Naruto nodded frantically, "Y-yes" he gasped, his back arching from every touch. The hand gripping his aching member quickened and Naruto found himself panting and moaning in pleasure.

"A-ah! Sasuke!" he mewled, and the Uchiha was un-able to contain his smirk, the fingertips of his free hand pressing against the blonde's entrance.

"Do you want this?" he asked, his breath hot on Naruto's neck.

"Y-yes! Sasuke, ple-"

"-Sasori-danna! Come look!" a boisterous voice called, rousing Naruto from his sleep, "I think he's waking up."

Naruto groaned, his head aching, before shakily sitting up.

The loud blonde that had woken Naruto up squealed and pinched his cheek.

"Yay! You really are awake!"

A red-head stepped into the room, leaning against the wall, and Naruto blinked, recognizing the guy and the one squishing his face.

"Your… the guys that let us in." Naruto mumbled, and the blonde smiled brightly.

"That's right! I'm Deidara, and that grumpy guy over there is Sasori, un!"

"Um… hello." Naruto mumbled softly, unsure as to what else to say in this kind of situation.

Deidara it seemed, didn't find the situation awkward, and broke into a melodious fit of giggles.

"We scared you so bad!" he exclaimed, "We didn't even need to do anything drastic!"

Naruto paled as he remembered the events, before Deidara's words clicked.

"Didn't do anything drastic?" he exclaimed, "You—"

"_Sasuke!" he exclaimed, turning swiftly on his heel, "Thank goo—aah!"_

_When Naruto turned around, he was not greeted by the familiar face of the Uchiha, but by a stranger. He couldn't see the man's face – if it was a man- at all, but he did manage however, to catch the silvery glint of the blade in the stranger's hand. _

_The sight chilled the blonde to his very core, and a – girly, mind you – scream tore through his throat._

_Before he had time to run, the man lurched forward and covered his mouth with an oddly scented cloth._

_With wide eyes, he struggled to break free, but the man had already restrained his arms, and Naruto's vision swarmed before everything faded to black._

Deidara chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head, "Well actually, that was Sasori's idea."

At the mention of his name, Sasori pushed himself from the wall he was leaning on and sauntered over to the bed, "We do it to all of the people that get separated. They usually get away before I have time to use the chloroform, but you made it easy for me to catch you."

Naruto frowned, "You drug people and then drag them to a strange place?"

Deidara laughed, before leaning forward to pinch Naruto's cheeks, "Only the cute ones."

"Besides," Sasori cut in, "Dragging a familiar looking body does wonders on scaring friends… well, some of them anyway."

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"Hinata!" Kiba exclaimed, screeching to a halt, so the poor Hyuuga crashed into his backside.

They had been running hand in hand – Hinata had wanted to walk and use deductive reasoning to find the way out, but Kiba (too frantic to stay there much longer) had randomly grabbed her hand and made a run for it..

"What is it?" Hinata asked, only for Kiba to raise a finger to his lips and obnoxiously 'shh' her. Hinata frowned.

"Do you hear that?"

The Hyuuga pressed her lips together – a nervous habit – as she listened, waited.

"… I don't—" She was about to tell the Inuzuka that there was no sounds but their breathing, when she heard a shuffling sound.

"It… it sounds like… someone's being dragged." Hinata whispered and Kiba shook his head 'yes' frantically.

"I don't know what it is, but we need to lea—" Kiba had been about to break into another sprint, when suddenly a large shadow casted over him and Hinata.

The small lantern overhead creaked softly, swaying back and forth constantly.

'If it would just stay still.' Hinata thought, she would be able to see if the shadow belonged to somebody they knew. But the lanterns in this place were spaced widely, and since it was small, the one directly above them could only reach so far. And the next lantern was at least a meter away, all the way at the end of the hall. The owner of the sound was nowhere to be seen… so the shadow…

'Must be cast by someone… or something… behind us.'

Slowly, they pair turned around, peering into the darkness.

Suddenly, there was a huge howling breeze of air that ripped through the hall, and the lantern that had been swaying back and forth slowly, lurched forward, shining light in the darkened area. Just in time for the couple to see Naruto's limp body being dragged around a corner.

"Naruto!" Hinata screamed, and the yell and the sight must have snapped Kiba out of his stupor, as his grip around Hinata's wrist tightened almost painfully and he broke into a sprint.

'Forgive me Naruto.' He thought, and Hinata could only watch her friend disappear into the darkness helplessly as she was dragged away.

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Sasori snickered as he thought about the couple's reactions. He was half-tempted to drag the blonde everywhere else, but he had decided against it. He didn't want to risk accidently hurting the boy.

'Still' he thought wistfully, 'It would have been fun.'

"What are you doing?" the question snapped him from his musings, and Sasori looked up to see—

"Gaara."

"Sasori."

Their greetings were so tactful.

"This is your friend right?" he questioned, motioning to the unconscious blonde.

Gaara nodded, "Is he out from fear or—"

"Chloroform."

"Ah… be careful with him." He mumbled, turning to take his leave, before hesitating, "Oh and Sasori?"

"Yes?"

"His boyfriend. I saw him in the hall leading to the courtyard I think he's looking for blondie. You'll find him there." And without even a glance back, he walked away.

"It was nice seeing you cousin." Sasori called. Gaara simply raised a hand in goodbye.

"Well," Sasori grumbled, "Better get him to the room."

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So many doors, so many options. It wasn't the option of which to choose, it was which was the right door to choose

There were six options, five wrong and one correct. Yet he couldn't waste time deciding. Naruto – by now – must be scared to death.

But, in such a situation… there was nothing to do, but guesswork. Maybe… there was clue that hinted as to which door Naruto chose. Then again, maybe not.

"Ugh!" Sasuke groaned, resisting the urge to tug at his hair.

"Fine," he decided, "I'm going through this door." Reaching for the door closest to him. It lead to a hallway, donned with pictures and spider webs. There was only a door at the end of the hall. Going through it simply took Sasuke back to the courtyard of doors once more.

This could be a good thing, or a bad thing. Bad, because he hadn't the slightest clue as to which door he'd come through, but good because if all but one of the doors led back here, he wouldn't have to worry about not choosing the door Naruto chose.

Things could be looking up.

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"Are these screens showing the house?" Naruto asked eagerly. Having already gotten over his initial shock.

"Yup!" Deidara chirped, and Naruto took it upon himself to find his friends amongst the many screens.

At first, Naruto was worried because he couldn't find Neji, Tenten, and Gaara. Deidara was kind enough to inform him that the three had made it out and were safe.

Sakura, it seemed, was waiting – in what Deidara said – was the last room of the

house. Lee was several screens away, because apparently he claimed it to be un-youthful to not at least check every room out.

"Oi!" Deidara exclaimed when Naruto spotted Chouji, "How'd he get in there?"

According to the screen – and the screen doesn't lie – Ino and Chouji were in the kitchen. Ino was in the doorway, assumingly pleading with Chouji that they shouldn't be in there. Assuming because there was no sound.

Naruto could picture Chouji saying something along the lines of 'If we weren't supposed to be here, then it wouldn't be here.'

Sasori, who was sitting in the corner, got up, "I'll get 'em out."

The next screen Naruto spied, had him in a fit of giggles.

Hinata was standing awkwardly next to a hunched over Kiba on the floor.

Deidara explained to Naruto how Sasori had dragged his seemingly lifeless body past the two and Kiba, in fear, had run away in fright. Now the Inuzuka was sobbing about how terrible of a friend he is.

The last person he saw, was Sasuke, and the Uchiha was going through a series of doors only to end up back where he started. From the looks of it, he was beginning to grow frustrated and Deidara kindly informed Naruto that that Sasuke had gone through every door at least twice.

"I think he is looking for you."

And Naruto suddenly felt bad. Here he was, stuffing his face with free Halloween candy from Deidara, and watching his friends making a fool of themselves, whiel Sasuke was freaking out because he thought Naruto was lost.

'And he knows I get scared easily.'

"Deidara?"

"Yes Naru-chan?"

"Do you think you can take me to where Sasuke is, and tell me how to get out of there?"

Deidara smiled, "Of course!" before pausing… "Hmm, Sasori is still not back yet…"

"I'll do it." Someone said, making Naruto jump, because as far as he was concerned, they had been alone.

He looked up to see a man he'd never seen before, 'He seems… familiar.' He thought.

Deidara's smile brightened, "Thanks! Okay, watch the screen then, and Sasuke goes through a door you can flip the switch to reveal the hidden door."

"Hidden door?" Naruto asked, mildly curious.

"Yeah, there are actually seven doors instead of six, but the last one is hidden behind a fake wall. We flip the switch when the person is in one of the mini halls, that way they don't know, and when they come back in there's another door! We usually do it after several failed attempts, but I got distracted watching the screens with you."

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"Neji!" Lee exclaimed as he and Sakura met up with Tenten and the Hyuuga, "You beat us! I knew you were a worthy opponent!"

Sakura face palmed, before moving to stand by Tenten.

"How long have you guys been waiting?"

"Mm, not long. Eight, ten minutes maybe."

"Are you two the only ones so far?"

"No, Gaara is over there." She pointed to a bench where the red-head was seated, staring off into the sky, "I think he's been here for a while. He seems… un-amused."

Sakura frowned, "Yeah."

The group fell into a comfortable silence only for it to be broken moments later.

"I'm sorry Ino." Chouji apologized, as said blonde dragged him out by his ear.

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" she scolded, "You're lucky that guys not making us pay for all the food you ate! You're lucky he didn't call the cops!"

"But Ino—"

"What happened?" Sakura exclaimed, rushing over to the pair.

"Chouji!" Ino exclaimed, with more force than necessary, "Broke into the kitchen where the workers here have lunch and breaks! And then he ate almost all of their food! The man that escorted us out informed us that he and several others actually live here! They just deck it out for Halloween!"

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"Dammit!" Sasuke exclaimed, slamming his fist into one of the doors. His eyes burned and prickled almost – impossibly of course – as if he was about to cry.

All he could think about was how Naruto was probably freaking out because a mouse or something was following him, and he wasn't there too comfort him.

'How am I supposed to molest him, if I don't know where he is?'

Huffing, he turned around and slid down the door, 'This sucks.'

"-suke!" a voice suddenly called, followed by a rapid set of footsteps. He looked up to see Naruto running towards him.

A sense of relief washed over him as the blonde skidded to a halt.

"Sasuke!" Naruto panted, and the Uchiha couldn't resist the urge to smile as he stood up from his spot."

"Dobe. Where have you been?" he questioned - voice steady as if he hadn't just been worried about the boy. But Naruto knew, and the thought alone made him smile. Maybe Sasuke cared for him after all.

"I got lost, but I'm here now. Come on." Naruto said, holding his hand out to the raven, "Let's get out of here."

Sasuke frowned, "We can't. I've already tried all six of these doors."

Naruto scrunched his nose in confusion, "Six? What about that one?" he asked, pointing to a door slightly concealed by vines. Sasuke's eyes widened, he could swear that door wasn't there before."

Sasuke blinked, "Let's go."

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"Aww!" Deidara squealed, "They are so cute together! Sasori look!"

The red-head barely even glanced, "Yes, of course. They are precious."

Deidara puffed his cheeks out in mock anger, "Moe~ Your no fun. What about you Chi-san? What do you think of 'em?"

The man from earlier looked thoughtful, "… I think… I need to pay my beloved Otou-to a visit."

The blonde turned to look at him in confusion, "What?"

Sasori shook his head, 'He's so hopeless.'

Chi-san only smirked, "Nothing Deidara, nothing."

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Right outside the exit, Naruto skidded to a halt, "W-wait Sasuke!"

"What is it? The others are waiting for us."

"Wait here, There's something I have to door first."

"… okay."

Naruto nodded before running off down the hall.

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"Come on Kiba." Hinata soothed, pulling along the Inuzuka, "I'm sure what we saw was just a trick of the light."

He sniffled, "Okay." When suddenly he heard footsteps and he and Hinata froze.

"Hin-"

"Kiba!" a voice said, cutting him off, "Kiiiiiiiba~"

Kiba and Hinata paled.

"It's meeee, Naruto. Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiibaaaaaaaa. How could you leave me? Hooooooowwwww?"

With each eerie call, the footsteps got closer and closer and Kiba looked closer and closer to dying, "Kiba!"

And suddenly, Naruto was jumping out of the shadows, making the two scream in fright and Kiba faint. The blonde broke into a fir of giggles, and Hinata, who until then, had looked like she was going to have a heart attack frowned.

"Na-Naruto-kun." She scolded, once she was sure it was actually Naruto and not his ghost coming for revenge, "That wasn't funny."

"Heh heh heh." Naruto chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head, "Sorry."

**So yeah, sorry for the complete crappy-ness of this chapter and the abrupt end. Review? **


	16. Content

**DISCLAIMER: I'm seriously running out of epic things to say. Naruto. It's not mine.**

**~Chapter Sixteen~**

**Content **

Rain poured in sheets, stifling the silence in the house. According to the clock, it was three in the morning, and he had yet to fall asleep. But that was normal. It was the utter loneliness that seemed to be choking him, that wasn't normal.

Normally, his insomniac filled nights would be spent cooking food, watching television, or doing something more productive than lying in bed. Two hours from now, Temari's alarm would go off and she'd start to get ready for school and work. But not anymore.

Before, she'd get up and he would spend his morning chatting it up with the girl. Though he wasn't very talkative, it was nice. Things had always been this way, always. And he had planned on keeping things the way they were. But the fates were un-kind, or maybe he was just being selfish, but things it seemed… had changed.

Temari had it tough. As a child, life had been simplistic. She and her younger brother Kankuro lived happily with their mother and father. Temari's mother was a kind woman, and showered her children with affection each and every day. And though her father was a busy man, he always found time for the family, for her.

Like her mother, her father had been a kind man, but she soon learned that had just been her callow mind conjuring up such praise.

When she was but three years old, her mother got pregnant. Though she was too young to understand how such a miracle takes place, she knew that it meant she would soon get another sibling. Her first sibling, Kankuro, was a boy and she didn't care for him much, but he was family, so she loved him.

Her mother was eager for the new child and Temari found herself to be too. Her father on the other hand, didn't seem to want another child, but that, she never seemed to notice.

The day her mother died, Temari had been sitting at home with Kankuro and the neighbors, who were there to watch them. She was happy, really happy. Because her mommy was in the hospital and soon she would have a baby brother. She had been slightly put off that the new baby wasn't a girl, but she got over it.

As the day went by, Temari began to grow restless. 'What was taking so long?'

She went from happy to bored. It was no fun that she would have to wait so long.

So when her father came home and the neighbors left, she had demanded what took so long. She was too naïve to notice how sad her father was.

When she got over her fit, she realized her mother was nowhere to be seen.

'Where's mommy?' she asked as she glanced around the room, 'And the baby? Where is he?'

'Mommy,' her father had said, 'Won't be coming home today.'

'Why?'

'Because mommy… that child she wanted so much… mommy's dead.'

And there was really nothing to feel except utter empty-ness.

As Temari grew older, she had to adjust to life without her mother. But it was okay, because she had baby Gaara, and he – like herself and Kankuro – were a piece of 'mommy'.

But her father didn't seem to think so. He hated Gaara because he believed the child to have killed his beloved wife. He had never wanted another child anyway, he would claim.

And the older and older Temari got, the more she realized how terribly her father was treating Gaara.

When Temari was seventeen, she got a job and realized enough was enough. She saved up money, got an apartment, and moved out. Taking Gaara and Kankuro with her.

And so things were tough. And although Kankuro was gone half the time, and only dropped by once every while, Temari still had to support herself and Gaara, whilst also getting an education.

So when an all-expense paid scholarship presented itself, of course Temari would take it. Gaara was selfish to hate her for it.

Now, he was all alone in this apartment, living off the money Temari sent him every month.

With a sigh, Gaara rolled out of bed, intent on eating something and then getting himself ready for the day.

Lazily, he dragged himself to the shower, dropping clothes as he went. He was alone anyways, so it really didn't matter if he was being indecent. In the back of his mind, he could hear Temari scolding him.

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"-So I'm worried about her." Sakura finished, and Naruto nodded as he wiped his mouth free of any food lest Sasuke show up and 'help' him wipe it off.

Sakura had been telling him about how lonely Ino had been recently, what with her confessing her feelings to Shikamaru, only for him to leave all the way to America for a year.

And such a situation would be a tough pill to swallow. He was glad he wasn't in such a predicament, but still felt that he should do something.

"Her and Chouji eat alone at lunch every day right?"

"Yeah, sometimes Lee and I join them, but rarely."

Naruto 'hmm'd in agreement.

"Well, I think we should all sit together at lunch then, and we and adapt from there. Cause you know… a little bit goes a long ways… or something like that."

Sakura giggled, "Alright then Naruto, I'll see you at lunch then." She said as she got up, ready to head to her class.

"Kay, bye Sakura-chan!" he called, waving enthusiastically.

Once Sakura was gone, he signed and leaned on his palm, 'Sasuke's late.' He thought idly, finding himself more bored than usual.

After a quick glance around the classroom, Naruto decided to get up and sit by Gaara – who seemed lonely – until class started.

"Hey, how goes it?" he asked cheerfully.

Gaara looked up at him lazily, "… It goes okay…"

Naruto frowned at the Subaku's lack of enthusiasm, "Ne Gaara?"

"Hmm…?"

"You should sit with me at lunch today." He offered, "We've all decided that we should start sitting together."

"… I… guess." He mumbled, still in a mopey mood from this morning.

"Okay! Good!"

Naruto couldn't help but smile, things seemed so bright, it was going to be a good day.

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"Tell me again dobe, why we have to sit with all those people?" Sasuke asked begrudgingly.

"Because-" the blonde whined, "You're too anti-social and you need to bond without friends!"

Which was partly true. Sasuke didn't need to know the real reason.

"Besides, I promised I'd make it up to you." Those words, though innocent, opened a flurry of possible ways Naruto could possibly, 'make it up to him'

Sasuke smirked, "I'm holding you to that dobe."

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How many months had it been since Shikamaru had left? With it being December now, and the Nara having left in August… that would be one month shy of a year. Amazing how time goes by so fast. Ino had had a feeling that this year would drag by achingly slow, but the past couple months had been nice.

Lately, she had grown really close to Naruto and his friends. It was amazing how likeable the boy was.

But he just seemed to be that kind of person, the kinds that impossible to not like.

Yes, they had hung out once or twice before, but now it felt as if they – her and everyone else within Naruto's group – had known each other for years.

Ino found herself not as sad as she had been. Things it seemed were okay now, and half a year no longer seemed like forever. The thought made her immensely happy.

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It was too early to be excited for Christmas, but Naruto couldn't help himself. Though it was a small celebration for him and Iruka, it still made him immensely happy.

He'd have to start saving up his allowance money so he could invest in Christmas presents.

And then of course, came the question, what to get everybody, and if he ahd the funds to get all of his friends their gifts.

But that could wait. He still had a little short of a month's time. Which regrettably, wasn't enough time, but he couldn't be bothered by that.

Because Christmas was around the corner and soon the immense amount of rain that had been falling would soon become snow, and that meant a source of entertainment other than his usual television and games.

The thought had him giggling like a school girl.

"Kyaa~ I'm so excited!"

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It had been years since Sasuke last put up Christmas decorations. Just as long as it had been since he last got excited for the holiday.

But that was because this Christmas wouldn't be as lonely as the past ones. Sure, Itachi would send him a gift in the mail, along with a letter promising to come home as soon as he was finished with schooling, but it wasn't much.

He was currently really happy because Kakashi was taking Iruka out for the week, meaning Naruto could stay with him. Iruka had been reluctant at first, but Naruto had assured him that it would be alright so long as the Umino was back before Christmas.

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"Oi Sasuke!" Naruto called from the living room. He was currently trying to untangle millions of Christmas lights. Honestly, there were so many, he doubted that Christmas stores had this many. Then again, Sasuke's house is pretty big. How were they supposed to put all of these up anyway? It would be an accident hazard.

"What is it dobe?" Sasuke questioned as he stepped into the living room.

"Ne, how do you suppose we're going to put all these lights up without falling off the roof and dying?"

"Because dobe, we're not putting them up."

"Eh?"

"We untangle the lights and place them outside, to where we want them to be hung up. And then the professionals that I called, the same ones that will be delivering our tree, will put them up."

Naruto gaped, "Oh." He hadn't known there was such a thing as professional light putter-uppers. He and Iruka had always done it on their own, which hadn't been troublesome because they could easily reach the roof of their quaint little home with the help of a ladder.

"Huh," Naruto mumbled to himself, "That's kind of cool. Do we get to decorate the tree though?"

"Yes, that is, if you ever get those lights untangled."

Naruto puffed out his cheeks in mock anger, "You could help me you know."

Sasuke only shook his head, "I could, but someone insisted that I make them lunch."

The blonde pouted, "Meh… fine."

The Uchiha smiled before making his way back into the kitchen so he could continue making their meal. There was an open space counter between the kitchen and the living room, so Sasuke could watch as Naruto tangled himself in lights, making things worse.

Deeming the food as boiling, he switched the stove to simmer before sauntering over to the open counter and resting his left elbow on the table so he could place his chin on his palm. With the gentle-lest of smiles, he watched lovingly as Naruto fumbled with the wires and cursed quietly to himself. So when Naruto looked up to see Sasuke staring at him, he flushed red and quickly looked down, fumbling even more with the wires. Sasuke only smiled brighter.

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"I'm pretty sure it's cake Sasuke."

"No, I'm telling you dobe, its milk and cookies."

"Sasuke! Everyone knows that you give Santa carrot cake, that way he can share it with the reindeer."

"That's just stupid. Reindeer don't eat cake."

"How would you know?"

"Cause deer don't eat cake!"

"How could you call a reindeer a deer? That's like calling a unicorn a horse with a party hat! Reindeer and deer have two different diets!"

"Ugh!" Sasuke exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "We're not even American, so why does it matter?"

Naruto blanched, "So? We've still been celebrating Christmas since we were children!"

"But that doesn't mean we have to follow all of their customs. Besides, Santa's not even real, the cake would only sit there all night anyway."

Naruto grumbled, poking his index fingers together much like Hinata would.

"Well… maybe I… maybe I just wanted to…"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, realization dawning on him, "Maybe you just wanted to eat carrot cake?"

And Naruto could do nothing but blush at being caught.

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"So it doesn't taste like egg?" Naruto asked curiously, swishing the off-white/wanna be condensed milk consistency drink.

"Of course not dobe. Hasn't Iruka every had any around the house?" Sasuke asked, taking another drink of his eggnog.

"No. He doesn't like to keep any in the house ever since he accidently spilt some on his cheek and Kakashi-sensei said 'that looks good on you, but I've got something else sticky and white that will look even bett-"

Sasuke choked, jerking his cup away from his mouth and slamming it on the table, as he spurted eggnog everywhere.

"Oh my—are you okay?" Naruto asked, rubbing Sasuke's back.

"Ah, yeah. I'm okay." Sasuke rasped, sitting up again. Naruto smiled before reaching forward with a dainty hand and swiping eggnog off Sasuke's cheek and popping his finger in his mouth, savoring the sweet taste.

"It's good!"

And it took all of Sasuke's willpower to not say, "Then have some more." And smash their lips together.

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"These lights are so pretty." Naruto commented from his place at the window, cradling a cup of hot cocoa in his hands.

"Ah, yeah." Sasuke mumbled, not really paying attention as he stoked the fire in the fire place. It'd been a long time since he made a fire here. Normally, well, ever since Itachi left, he would just crank up the thermostat and burrow in bed.

"The deed is done." Sasuke said, setting the fire poker on its rack and flopping back onto the piles upon piles of blankets he and Naruto had lain out.

Naruto moved away from the window, set down his cup on a table, and sat down beside Sasuke, pulling one of the blankets up and around himself.

"Sit with me Sasuke." Naruto said, but he Uchiha shook his head.

"Lay with me." He said before snatching Naruto's wrist and tugging the startled blonde down, so he was half on him.

Naruto laughed, relishing that in the spirit of Christmas, Sasuke was acting somewhat childishly.

"What are you laughing at?" Sasuke half grumbled/half whispered, his hands coming up to completely pull Naruto on top of him and hold him in place.

Naruto only shook his head rapidly, the tips of his hair brushing the Uchiha's nose.

"Your hair's gotten longer." Sasuke said, fingering a blonde lock gently.

"Ah yeah. I need to get it cut."

"I like it this way."

"Eh? Really?" Naruto questioned, putting one of his hands beside Sasuke's face so he could back slightly, "Well… it's not as long as yours, so I guess it's okay."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Naruto just smiled, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

A gentle silence fell over the two, and Naruto snuggled his face into the crook of Sasuke's neck.

"Your nose is cold." Sasuke hissed, jerking away slightly, "Get it off me."

"But Sasuke~" Naruto whined, "Your necks so warm."

And the Uchiha really couldn't argue, not with the blonde being so cute.

So the two lay there, Naruto's face buried in Sasuke's neck, and Sasuke staring at the ceiling absently.

And it was as he was staring at the ceiling, that he noticed something strange dangling up there.

'What is that?' he thought, squinting so he could see, since the only things lighting the room were the Christmas lights from the tree, and the flames from the fire.

'Is that…' he took in the green leaves and red berries, 'a mistletoe?'

Sasuke was silence a moment, 'Well, only one way to find out.' Before nudging Naruto in the side.

'What is it?" Naruto asked, voice thick with sleepy-ness.

"What's that on the ceiling?"

The blonde pulled away to look, "It's…" Naruto's face burned red, "a mistletoe." He shifted to look back at Sasuke.

"I thought you didn't believe in all of the American customs?"

Sasuke sat up, leaning up with his elbows.

"I let you have your carrot cake." Sasuke whispered, his breath ghosting Naruto's lips.

"Well… to kiss someone just because of a little plant is stupid. I'm not going to do it." The corner of Naruto's lip twitched slightly at Sasuke's expression, "But… I will kiss you just because."

And that was Sasuke's cue to close the gap between them and seal their lips together in a sweet and gentle kiss.

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"Naruto? Sasuke?" Iruka called, Kakashi shutting the door behind them.

"Maybe their asleep?" Kakashi offered.

Iruka set his bag down, chewing his lip absently, "Maybe."

"You're not thinking they got murdered or anything, are you?" Kakashi asked, and Iruka stiffened.

"You can never be too careful." He hissed, and Kakashi chuckled dryly.

"Look." He said pointing down the hall, "There are lights on."

Iruka hurried down the hall, before jerking to a halt at the sight before him.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked before he too stopped to stare. He practically squealed in excitement, "I'm going to go get my camera!" before taking off down the hall.

"They're really something, aren't they?" Kakashi whispered, snapping a picture, once he got back.

Iruka smiled, "They are."

There, in front of the fire, and curled up in blankets, the two boys lie on their sides, facing each other, Naruto's face buried in Sasuke's chest, Sasuke's arms wrapped around the blonde.

"Ne ne Iruka!" Kakashi said, too excited to be healthy, "We should take their clothes off!"

Iruka gasped, his face red with anger.

T'was the night before Christmas when all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring – not even a mouse.

… And it was because of this silence, that the slap Iruka distributed to Kakashi's face, could be heard the world over.

**.**

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**Sorry for the crappy ending. Merry X-mas!**


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